


Spells for Memory

by 20SomethingSuperHeroes



Category: Anastasia (1997), Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Disney Animated Fandoms, Kung Fu Panda (2008), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Disney Multiverse, Fantasy, Fluff, Gen, Memories, Multiple Crossovers, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Post-Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010) References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:42:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 55,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4410686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/20SomethingSuperHeroes/pseuds/20SomethingSuperHeroes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky Barnes has gone in search of his past self.  He has enlisted the aide of an unsuspecting former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Sara Martin. With the Doctor and the T.A.R.D.I.S. as their ride, they will travel through space and time through many stories and fables to seek what magic there is for helping someone who has lost their memories--and to see if it will do Bucky any good. </p><p>Setting: Six and a half months after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spells for Memory

Minneapolis

Dear Agent Martin:

In light of the recent changes which have taken place at S.H.I.E.L.D., it has been necessary to restructure our organization. Unfortunately this restructuring has prevented us from keeping all of our current agents in service, and we are laying off some of our staff based on seniority. We regret to inform you that you do not qualify to continue working for S.H.I.E.L.D.. 

Although your time of service to S.H.I.E.L.D. was brief, we appreciate all of your hard work and dedication. As a former employee of S.H.I.E.L.D., you will be eligible for certain federal unemployment benefits, which you may apply for on such-and-such-government website. We wish you the best of luck in your future.

Sincerely,

Maria Hill

Director, Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division

That had been three months ago. Even though the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. in April had caught Sara by surprise, she had still not expected to be laid off. She had not wanted to be laid off. She had just returned from a search from her former friend and roommate Jamie Sneld, and there had been a few leads, which, no thanks to being laid off by her company, she was no longer able to follow. The last anyone had heard, her friend and S.H.I.E.L.D. coworker Emily Bridger had found Jamie working for Hydra in Finland, and that had been in May.

Upset, Sara returned to her home in Minnesota. Her parents gave her a start-up grant and she moved to Minneapolis to hopefully find a job as well as apply for grad school in...she was uncertain. Her background was psychology, but even then she didn’t know what to do with it. She had to admit to herself, she had grown casual and taken for granted that her position with S.H.I.E.L.D. was secure. 

Now it was mid-October. She was still living on unemployment benefits. She had not found even a temporary job to her liking, and the positions she had interviewed for and hoped to be accepted in had turned her down. 

One day when she was on Facebook she chatted with Emily Bridger.

Sara: How’s it going, Em?

Emily: I’m doing all right. How are you?

Sara: I’m okay.

Emily: I heard S.H.I.E.L.D. let you off. I’m really sorry for you.

Sara: It’s okay. I know it wasn’t anything personal.

Emily: Yeah, that’s Maria Hill for ya. Found any new jobs yet?

Sara: I am the employment specialist’s nightmare. Everything I apply for, they turn me down.

Emily: Have you considered applying to a temp service?

Sara: Do you know how many times I’ve heard that suggestion? 

Emily: Well, HAVE you???

Sara:...I didn’t like what they were having me do. I’m not a factory worker. Or a cook. Or a graveyard robot.

Emily: I see. :/ You did get your bachelor’s, right? that’s gotta be good for something, coming out of BYU.

Sara: In psychology? Are you kidding me?

Emily: And how’s applying for grad schools coming?

Sara: Trying to put off taking the GRE for as long as possible.

Emily: I’ve heard it’s death.

Sara: You won’t believe the headaches I get from trying to study for it.

Emily: Sorry, girl. 

Sara: So how’s S.H.I.E.L.D. treatin’ ya?

Emily: Same as always...still not recovered from Finland. I mean, I wasn’t injured, but I’m still upset about it.

Sara: Any news about Jamie?

Emily: Honey, believe me when I say that I think no news is good news. But no, I haven’t heard anything.

Sara: I’ll take your word for it. :(

Emily: :( You’ll find something. I have faith in you.

Sara: Thanks. 

Emily: But I will let you know if I do hear anything about Jamie. But can you do me a favor?

Sara: Sure.

Emily: Keep an eye out for Bucky Barnes.

Sara: That’s the Winter Soldier guy, right?

Emily: Yeah. I found a lead that he was recently in a homeless shelter in Denver. He could be anywhere now. Steve and Sam haven’t found anything new. I think Steve’s getting  
desperate.

Sara: :/ Poor Steve! LOL you know I think it’s weird how we’re on first-name terms with Captain America.

Emily: Yeah. IKR. 

Sara: Well, I’ll probably never see him again. :’( Say hi to him for me if you get the chance.

Emily: I will. I miss you. :’(

Sara: I’ll be okay. And I’ll look out for Bucky. if I see or hear anything, I’ll let you know.

Emily: Cool. Well, my trainer’s calling me up. I guess I’d better go. May the Force Be With You!

Sara: You too!

Sara had said she would keep an eye out for the Winter Soldier just to be nice. She didn’t really think she would run into him--what were the odds, anyway? If he didn’t want to be found, then they wouldn’t find him. Sara had thought it very sad when she heard that the infamous assassin might have been Captain America’s best friend. 

But there was little anyone could do about it. 

Sara had a job interview at the mall within the hour. She got into her car and drove. The store manager seemed very keen to hire her, but then again, she reminded herself, so  
had many of the other people she had talked to. Returning to her car, she thought she would go to lunch at a favorite restaurant. Her parents had just sent her another check, and it had been a few weeks since she had eaten there.

The storefront of the restaurant opened directly onto a busy street, so Sara drove around the block to a back alley that led to a derelict parking area. On parking, she took a  
breather from having survived another perilous trip through downtown traffic. 

Their Facebook conversation reminded her of her and Emily’s visit to the Smithsonian when they had been in D.C. She still had the pamphlet, as a matter of fact, from the Captain  
America exhibit. It was in the map pocket on her door. She pulled it out and looked at it. She would read it over while she ate lunch. What was Steve’s best friend’s name again? Bucky, right. There was a picture of him in the pamphlet. He’d been a nice guy, it sounded like. Not bad-looking either. 

It was drizzling outside. She had to take her umbrella, and having neglected her purse she had to carry her wallet in her other hand. Oh well. She returned the pamphlet to the car. At least the restaurant had a TV that played the news.

It was as she was walking away from the car that she heard someone coughing. 

She looked around, trying to remember if she still had any cough drops in her car left over from her last cold. 

There, behind a stack of old crates, was a leg sticking out. A dirty tennis shoe. It slunk back behind the crate. There was a sneeze.

She thought she ought to at least investigate. She didn’t have any loose change or extra snacks to give the person. Maybe she could buy them lunch? But, no, that wouldn’t  
work. This restaurant’s lunch menu could buy a decent lunch for one for not too much money, but a lunch for two persons was too expensive.

“Hello?” she called. “is someone there?”

She heard the rustling of clothes. Whoever it was didn’t want to be seen.

Maybe she had imagined the shoe. Maybe whoever it was really needed the help but was afraid to ask for it. 

She bent her way around the stack of crates. There was a person back there, squeezed in between the crates and a smelly dumpster. The rain was starting to come down heavily, but whoever it was they were at least dry under there.

“Do you need help?”

The person sniffed. “Go away,” he said in a dry voice.

“I...have some cough drops in my car, if you want any.”

“I’m not sick,” he said.

“Then what is your problem?”

“Go away!”

She wondered if maybe she should go away, if he would get violent if she didn’t leave him alone. “Please don’t be frightened,” she said. “I only want to help you. I can take you  
back to the mall, buy you a hot lunch. It’s lunchtime right now, or a little after lunchtime. Certainly you’d like something to eat.”

The offer of food tempted him to lurch forward. He crawled close to the edge of the crevice. The light was a little better. 

His was the most melancholy face she had ever seen. Bitter, angry, frowning. She took a few steps back.

Something about adjusting her position, however, had called something about him to mind.

“Do I...know you?” she asked him, leaning sideways. 

His mouth opened slightly. Now he was afraid. 

She squinted. It couldn’t be...could it?

“Are you...Bucky...Barnes?” she stammered as she recollected the name.

They only stared at each other. He wasn’t the Bucky she had seen in the picture. His hair was shoulder-length and disheveled, poorly hidden under a tattered baseball cap. His chin a mess of stubble, his jacket, shoes and sweater underneath were all wet. There was hunger and pain in his eyes that she could not find the words for. 

“I’ve been called that. You’re not...one of them, are you?” He looked ready to run or to attack or do something terrible. She forgot which arm it was that they said was metal.

“No, I’m not,” she said. She felt blood rushing to her head so violently that she thought she was going to faint. “I...I just left S.H.I.E.L.D., actually. They fired me. And I’ve never  
worked for Hydra. So no, I’m...I’m not going to hurt you. You sure you’re not hungry, Bucky? I can call you that, right?”

Bucky coughed as he crawled out of his cell. “You can call me whatever you like.” He stood up slowly. He’d been back there for a while, judging by the stiffness of his movements. His left hand had a glove over it.

“Well, get in the car, buddy, I’m taking you to lunch.”

The Mall

The car ride was uncomfortable at best for both of them. Sara tried to make conversation but quickly found out how not-talkative this stranger was. She asked herself why she was doing this, especially when she could have just walked away, especially when she had not been hungry for anything at the food court, and she was concerned about whether or not she would have done this for anyone else. The guy sitting in her passenger’s seat wasn’t much to look at, true, but he had been the Winter Soldier. He was probably the last person on earth she should be taking to lunch.

But she knew that the more she told herself she shouldn’t be doing this, the more she had to. 

They arrived at the mall food court. She opened her umbrella, but Bucky stayed well out in the rain. His clothes were obviously secondhand but they had been trashed from what must have been weeks of living on the run, if it was true he had been in a homeless shelter in Denver a few weeks ago. And now his disgusting hair was wet as were the rest of his clothes and she wondered if she or her car would smell from having been around him. He kept both of his hands firmly in his pockets, a habit she guessed that his survival depended upon.

She held the door to the food court open for him, but he didn’t thank her or even nod. He just stared straight ahead. 

The warm smells of the food court were welcoming after the rain, though not as much as her intended destination’s would have been. 

“So what are you hungry for?” she asked him. “We’ve got Panda Express, that’s Chinese, Chito’s Italian, they’ve got really good pizza; Pretzelmaker, Orange Julius, Pita-to-go, what sounds appetizing?”

He shrugged wordlessly.

“How does Quizno’s sound? You like sandwiches?” She did not get a yay or a nay. “Sandwiches it is then. Follow me.”

Ordering food for him was impossible. He kept his eyes on the floor. She asked him if she could order a club sandwich for him, and he didn’t respond.  
She got them diet coke to drink and carried their food on a tray. He followed her without protest to a table in the middle of the floor. 

“Do you mind if I bless this food really fast?” she asked him.

“Go ahead,” he mumbled.

She said a quick prayer and dug into her sandwich. After she had taken a bite, he picked up his sandwich carefully with one hand and ate, chewing thoughtfully.

“It’s good to be eating, isn’t it?” she asked after she had swallowed.

Bucky nodded at her. They ate their sandwiches in silence.

“I don’t always eat at Quiznos,” said Sara as she dabbed her face clean, “but I guessed I was more likely to find something that would interest you if I went there.”

“That was good. Thank you,” he nodded at her.

“Ah, so he talks!” she said. “So where’ve you been since, er, April, I guess, when you started roaming around?”

He looked down at the table again.

“Ah, don’t want to talk about it?”

“Were you being honest back there, when you said you don’t work for anyone who’s looking for me?”

“Yes,” said Sara. “I understand if you’re having a hard time trusting people. I’m not gonna turn you in,” she said. “I’m not gonna even tell them I saw you.”

He looked at her skeptically.

“So is there anything else I can help you with? A drink for the road? Some -- “

“There is something,” he interrupted her. “I need help.”

“With what?”

“Remembering who I am.”

“Oh,” she said. “What is it specifically I can do for you?”

“You can help me find my past,” he said.

“And...how does that work?”

“I needed answers,” he said, “and I went to someone. He said that there are people I can see, ways I can find to help me remember. My memories are in there, it’s just…” He  
sighed, “my brain’s been damaged. I need to find a way to fix it.”

“Well, I graduated in psychology, but I’m not sure I’m exactly qualified to help you in that department,” she shook her head. “I’d have to--”

“You don’t need to do anything for me,” he said. “I just need someone to come with me.”

“Where?” 

“To wherever that Loremaster guy said I needed to go.” He withdrew something from his jacket pocket. It looked like a folded-up napkin, but there was pen ink on it. There was  
writing, a seven-sided shape with a border of writing, each side appearing to be a two-line couplet. 

“Who is the Loremaster?” she asked as she began to read one of the couplets.

Bucky opened his mouth to answer, but then he looked up at the entrance to the food court. Sara heard shouting and screaming, and then shattering glass behind her. Men in  
black clothing had entered the food court--with guns.

She stuffed the napkin in her pocket.

“Go!” shouted Bucky.

“Where?”

“Out of here!”

They ran out of the food court while everyone else ducked for cover--which Sara knew to be the more sensible of the two options. 

In the concourse right outside the food court the shoppers had stopped to observe the commotion, only to begin running in panic. Alarms were sounding and emergency doors  
and security gates were closing. Sara and Bucky had to push through a mass of people at the foot of an escalator where the one heading up was crammed like a sardine box. Struggling to keep an eye on each other, they squeezed onto the escalator. The men with the guns were right behind them. 

“Duck!” they shouted at the top of their lungs, and everyone on their end of the escalator shrank as bullets went zipping over their heads and the glass ceiling above them rained down. But the attackers continued charging down the hall instead of coming after them. They stood up and watched as the gunmen fired on innocent people below.  
They knew without saying anything that they had to stop the attack. No sooner had they reached the top of the escalator than Bucky got off and took the one heading down.

“You get to someplace safe!” he shouted at her.

“I’m not leaving you!” she said. The dangers of the situation notwithstanding, she knew that she couldn’t lose track of Bucky. Not when so many people she knew were looking for him.

She followed the crowd off the escalator down the hall of the mall. People were running into stores to hide, though none of the gunmen, it looked like, had come upstairs. Sara glimpsed a fire extinguisher. She had an idea. In her BYU days she had worked custodial and been trained to use a fire extinguisher in the event of an emergency. This definitely qualified. 

With the heel of her shoe, she kicked the glass of the extinguisher case into a million pieces, causing some people standing by to scream. She then returned to the escalator and headed down. 

Downstairs, the men with guns had left off cornering the civilians the moment Bucky had appeared. One, however, was still harassing an old lady. 

“Why aren’t you with your friends, coward?” he muttered as he left the main group to bother him. While the old woman crawled to safety, Bucky delivered the man a few kicks to the back and some punches to the face. He fell to the ground just as his comrades surrounded Bucky.

Bucky eyed the magnetic handcuffs hanging from the belt of one of the attackers. He took them on three at a time while the others hovered in the background, waiting for an opening. He broke the gun of one, and he took the weapon from the first he had knocked out and fired back. One of the men, an older guy with a mustache, took a gun from a fallen comrade and fired two guns at Bucky. Bucky ducked around the escalator and came at the man from behind, shooting him fatally.

There were three of the attackers left. Bucky had two of them to himself. A third was coming at him from his blind spot when he mysteriously fell over onto the ground covered with a mysterious white foam. It was Sara. He was distracted long enough that one of the men standing came and leapt on his back. Bucky wrestled him off while Sara continued to spray their assailants with the foam. The choker was wrenched off, and he ran away.

When the fire extinguisher was empty, Sara wrestled her opponent to the ground, panting heavily. Seeing the pair of handcuffs hanging from his belt, she bound him with them, remarking to herself how S.H.I.E.L.D. had similar cuffs as their standard issue. She clubbed the man senseless and stood up. The worst was over. The floor was covered with broken glass from the ceiling and shop windows. 

The first person she ran to help was an old man who had tripped and fallen behind the escalator. He wore an oversized polo shirt and had very slick white hair and a mustache and glasses.

“Are you okay?” she asked him, helping him very slowly to his feet. He had a cut on the back of his head but not much else.

“I’m all right,” said the old man. “Not the worst fall I’ve had.”

“You’re lucky you ended up back here where they couldn’t find you.”

“Naw, they couldn’t shoot worth beans. I could’ve fallen right in front of ‘em and they would’ve missed.”

She stayed with the old man until she saw a paramedic approaching.

The Park

She called S.H.I.E.L.D.’s emergency line and told them what had happened, omitting the all-important reason that the bad guys had come in the first place. She gave a silent prayer of thanks that she had not deleted that number.

Now, where were we? she asked herself. She uncrumpled the napkin from her pocket. Bucky would be wanting this back, but where had he run off to?

She returned through the food court, unsettled by the scenes of carnage around her. Now she wished she had taken him to that restaurant, in spite of the extra cost. 

As she was walking out the door to her car, she heard a low whistle. She jumped.

“Oh, you scared me!” she said. 

Bucky was leaning against the entryway, hands in his pockets. 

“What took you so long?”

“I was calling for help.”

“Who did you call?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D..” 

Bucky swore. “Well, let’s get out of here, then. Do you know where there’s a good park nearby?”

“Uh-huh,” she said. 

It had stopped raining. It was slightly muggy with a cold snap of autumn in the air, and the sun had come out and partly cleared away the clouds.

“So where did you take off to?” she asked him. “You know those people you rescued wanted to thank you.”

“What for?”

“Saving their lives,” she said, opening her car door. 

“Well, for the record, I don’t want anyone’s gratitude for anything,” he said angrily. 

Sara pulled them out of the parking lot. “By the way, I’d prefer if you didn’t cuss around me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, just, for future reference.”

He sat quietly for a minute. “How about if I cussed in Russian?”

“Works for me,” she said, “as long as I don’t know you’re doing it.”

It was a ten-minute drive to the park. They didn’t talk much on the way, minus Bucky asking after the napkin.

Sara got them a nice parking spot at the foot of a small hill. She then led him up the hill. There was a park bench under a tree at the top, overlooking a stream on the far side.

“Oh dear, it’s wet,” she said when she noticed the large droplets of water on the cold metal bench.”

“Doesn’t bother me,” he said. They both sat down. Sarah made a note to herself to wash her skirt later.

“The napkin?” he asked.

“Oh,” she said, retrieving it from her pocket. “Here you are.” She unfolded it so they could both look at it. 

“Can you read it?”

“Can you?” she asked.

“Not that easy to make out,” said Bucky. “He’s got the most unreadable handwriting I’ve ever seen. They liked to give their orders orally,” he added more quietly, “but they  
couldn’t make me forget. The trouble with this is that I don’t understand it. They’re all riddles of some sort. I don’t have any idea what they’re talking about.” 

“Do you at least know which one comes first?” she asked.

“I don’t remember.”

She lowered the napkin. “So who is this Loremaster fellow?”

Bucky shrugged. “It wasn’t my idea to go find him,” he said. “This girl, Emily Bridger, she’s friends with the people who are trying to find me--”

“Wait, did you say Emily Bridger?” asked Sara.

He nodded.

“I know her!” she exclaimed. “Oh my gosh, I know her! We worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. together. I take it she found you?”

“Long enough to give me directions,” said Bucky. 

“But where does this Loremaster come in?”

“Let me explain,” said Bucky. “Emily knows him, I don’t know how or from where. She gave me directions to find him. All you have to say is some mumbo-jumbo and his house appears, it’s a giant of an old pine tree. I went to see him, he said if I followed these directions, I might find my memories.”

“Okay,” said Sara, “but you didn’t answer my question. Who is he?”

Bucky shrugged. “He’s a storyteller of sorts. Or a story-collector. He says he knows about a lot of things, but I couldn’t tell you where he gets it from.”

“Interesting,” said Sara. “I’m surprised S.H.I.E.L.D. never heard of him...but if Emily sent you to him, I bet it was a safe bet that it would be someone you’d trust not to turn you in.”

“I don’t trust him, necessarily,” said Bucky. 

Sara began reading the rhymes. A lot of them she couldn’t understand unless they were all references to movies or television shows she had seen in one point or another. They  
just said who to talk to, but they didn’t say how to get to those places, fictitious as they were. 

“This is odd,” she said. “They don’t say anything about--aha! Here’s something to go on!”

“What?” Bucky asked, leaning over eagerly to look.

Sara read:

If you seek a ride to the uncharted places,  
Find a blue police box behind you ten paces.

“A blue box…” she mused. “He didn’t mean the T.A.R.D.I.S., did he?”

“The what?”

“Time And Relative Dimension In Space--that’s the Doctor’s time machine. He means we are to go to the Doctor first. And the Doctor will get us to our other destinations. That’s it!” she exclaimed, standing up.

Bucky stood up with her. “The Doctor? What doctor?”

“The Doctor!” exclaimed Sara. She began to shake excited. “Oh, my goodness, THE Doctor! We’re going to get a ride from THE doctor!” She suppressed a squeal. “Oh my goodness! This is what I’ve always dreamed of doing! I just...never imagined it would be real! Oh, Bucky! Just wait till you meet him! I wonder which doctor it is? I mean, the new season just started--”

“You’re confusing me.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just a huge fan of Doctor Who. Okay, so what did it say, ‘go back ten paces’? Okay, now that makes no sense.”

“The Loremaster said something to me,” said Bucky. “He said that we could start our journey from anywhere we could, as long as it was in a park, away from people.”

“So that means we have to take ten spaces back from wherever we are, and the doctor will appear?” asked Sara.

“I guess.”

“Well, that makes things easier,” she sighed. “Let’s step back together.” She offered him her left hand.

“What are you doing?”

“We’ll hold hands. It’ll make it easier.”

“I-I-I don’t want to hold hands with anyone!” Bucky looked affronted.

“It’s nothing romantic. But don’t you know if you want to get someplace magical with a friend you have to be holding on to them or else you’ll get lost?”

Bucky sighed. He gave her metal hand.

“Good. Ready, when I say go--go.”

Sara counted as they carefully stepped backwards down the hill toward the stream: “One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten.”

Sara braced herself for a disappointment. They turned around. They saw nothing.

“Well?” asked Bucky.

“Well, I guess we wait,” Sara sighed.

“For what?” boomed a voice from their right. “I was already waiting for you.”

A tall man had emerged from nowhere onto the flat grass beside the riverbank. He wore a fancy black suit with a tailcoat, and he had curly gray hair. 

“Doctor? Is that you?” asked Sara.

“It is indeed,” he said, bowing.

“Oh!” she gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. Bucky just stared. 

And directly behind the man was a tall blue box like a telephone booth, with the words POLICE BOX painted on the top. There was a door open.

The Doctor walked forward to greet them. “You must be the young man the Loremaster told me about--well, not young in years, I’ve heard. I’m really sorry about what happened  
to you. I didn’t give the Loremaster a moment’s hesitation when he told me you needed me.” He turned to Sara. “And your name is?”

“I’m Sara,” she gasped. “Sara Martin.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Martin,” he said. She offered her hand to shake. Instead he kissed it. 

“Well, my friends, I am afraid there’s not much time to waste here. Your ship departs immediately.”

“Perfect! Let’s go!” exclaimed Sara. She took Bucky by the arm--his metal one, she realized too late--and led him in. Bucky nearly tripped on his way in.

“Step lightly, my friends,” said the Doctor. 

 

The T.A.R.D.I.S.

They descended a tunnel into the Police Box and came into a large room furnished with all sorts of instruments and gadgets and computers, complete with a large control panel in the center. 

Sara pinched herself, but then saw Bucky looking confused.

“What?”

“It’s...it’s…” he searched furiously for the right words, “it’s bigger on the inside. How is that possible?”

The Doctor laughed. They also heard a female voice laughing. There was a woman there, barely older than Sara herself. She had brown hair and wore jeans and a sweater.

“That’s exactly how I reacted when I first came here,” she said.

“You’re quite right, Clara,” said the Doctor, “and that’s exactly how most of my companions react when they first see it. I don’t show it off to that many people, really.”

“What is it you said it stands for?” asked Bucky. “The name?

“T.A.R.D.I.S. stands for ‘Time and Relative Dimension in Space,’” said the Doctor. “But of course she already told you that.”

“I did,” Sara smiled. 

“Now, make yourselves comfortable, Clara will show you to comfortable quarters for the voyage. We will be leaving momentarily.”

“To where?” asked Sara.

“To your first destination, which would be….”

Sara still had the napkin hanging in her hand. She unfolded it.

“Which one did you start at?” asked the Doctor.

“This one,” said Sara, pointing to the bottom side of the hexagon.

“So your destination will be on your right. Things in space and time always move counter-clockwise.”

“Well, not all the time,” said Clara. 

Sara read the couplet on the right.

The hand of a princess can search in your mind  
To see if there’s anything your woes left behind. 

“The hand of a princess? What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Sara.

“A hand that can search inside a mind,” said the Doctor, “that belongs to a race known as the Tangeans in a distant galaxy. I know a place that their princess frequents rather,  
well, frequently.”

The doctor began to calibrate the control panel. 

“Tangean,” echoed Sara. “Where have I heard that name before?”

“You’ll see!” said the Doctor.

Of all the rhymes on the heptagon, this one was clearly the most obscure. 

“Come with me, I’ll show you a place you can relax,” said Clara, stepping forward to lead them.

Bucky looked nervously around the room, the whirring noises and blinking lights unsettling him. Sara was very much at home.

“So where are we going? Do you know?” she asked Clara.

“I honestly have no idea,” said Clara. 

She opened a door in the back of the TARDIS that led into a small room furnished with a bed and a few chairs.

“This is our sitting room. Have a seat.”

The two purple push armchairs had short backs and angled arms. 

Sara sat down in hers. “Oh, why thank you, Clara, this is lovely!”

Bucky sat down slowly, not quite sure about the stability of the chair. “So how long will it take us to get to...wherever we’re going?” he asked.

“A couple of hours. Half a day, maybe,” said Clara. “Trips in the T.A.R.D.I.S. aren’t long, even if they’re multi-dimensional. Can I get you something to eat, or to drink?”

“I’m full, thanks,” said Bucky.

“Do you have any cookies--er, sorry, biscuits?” asked Sara.

“I speak American English well enough.”

“Right, I’ll have some cookies and a glass of water.”

“Right, then.” Clara disappeared.

Sara sighed. “Bucky, can you believe it? We’re on the T.A.R.D.I.S.!”

“I’m sorry, but the significance of this is completely lost on me.”

“The T.A.R.D.I.S. and the Doctor are from a British television show called Doctor Who. It’s about a guy who travels through space and time having adventures. Oh!” She leaned  
forward on her elbows and closed her eyes. “Ever since I’ve worked for S.H.I.E.L.D....I’ve heard it was real, I always hoped I’d actually see it, but I didn’t think I’d get the chance.”

Clara returned momentarily with two glasses of water and a plate of cookies on a tray. She set the tray down on a small table in front of them. Sara grabbed a cookie, but Bucky  
remained with his hands in his coat pocket.

“I...guess I’m supposed to entertain you now,” said Clara shyly.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Sara, “I’m easy to entertain.”

Sara asked Clara about her life on the T.A.R.D.I.S. and her adventures with the Doctor. They both enjoyed the conversation immensely, but Sara noticed that Clara was looking  
strangely at Bucky for some reason.

“Clara, I’m sorry, is something the matter?” 

“No…” she said distractedly. She looked at Bucky, trying to force him to make eye contact. He didn’t respond. “Do I...know you from somewhere?” she asked him.

“Should I?” he asked sullenly.

“The Doctor told me about the nature of the assignment,” said Clara, “but he didn’t say who you were. You’re the one who’s looking for his lost memories, right?”

“Right,” he nodded, barely moving his head.

“So then maybe you wouldn’t remember me...but then again maybe you wouldn’t be the type to remember me.”

“From what?”

“From a date we went on.”

Bucky was startled. “What? What date?”

“I was in the 1940s,” said Clara, “right at the start of World War II. I was in New York, the Doctor had me running some sort of errand. A friend I’d made that day and I were out in  
the streets when we were approached by...a very dashing young man in uniform. An officer. He was shipping out the next day. He asked if we would like to go on a date with him and his friend. He told us to meet him at the Future World expo or something like that.” She laughed. “His friend...such a disappointment, small and skinny and not worth looking at. Poor fellow wasn’t eligible to enlist. I felt bad for my friend. He ended up ditching us. But I was the one who got the officer,” she said smugly.

“Oh,” said Sara. “Well, lucky you. What was this officer’s name?”

“Sergeant James Barnes,” she said dreamily, “but everyone called him Bucky.”

“Aaaaaaah,” said Sara, gaping slowly at the Bucky sitting right next to her. He was blushing. “Any particular reason you bring this up?”

“I just...your friend looked familiar, he has the same face, just about...but the Bucky I knew was far too dignified, clean-cut, well-groomed, had a uniform to go with the title.”

She stared at the man sitting in the chair across from her. He was staring at his lap.

“Maybe Clara wasn’t the name I gave you,” she sighed. “But do you remember me? That night? Anything? Anything at all?”

He looked up at her. “Why do you think we’re on this stupid trip? I can’t even remember how to tie my shoes.”

He wasn’t exaggerating. The knots on his tennies were something to gawk at.

Clara wanted to say something, but then she stopped. “Your voice...your voice sounds familiar. Are you sure you’ve never lived in New York?”

“No.”

“Never been in the military?”

“No.”

“Never been on a date in your life?”

“No, I mean, yes, I mean, I don’t even know, okay!” He was furious. 

Clara’s face was a strange mixture of sadness and disappointment. 

Bucky swore. “Get out of my sight,” he spat.

Clara left the room looking downcast.

“Sorry I swore,” he said.

“What was that all about?” asked Sara.

“Do you think it’s any of her business, asking me what I do or don’t remember?”

“She was just trying to help,” said Sara. She was starting to remember back to the events of the previous April. “I mean, you remembered Steve enough not to kill him, didn’t  
you?”

“That’s none of your business,” he said. 

“Come on! You’ve made it this far. You have to remember something!”

Bucky rubbed his eyes. “I don’t remember ever dating a woman with her face. I don’t remember being friends with a guy named Steve.” He paused, taking a breath, then  
continued. “I-I do remember a few things, just bits and pieces. But it’s not enough. Not enough to tell me who I am or where I need to go to get help. I just need my life back,” he said, looking at Sara. His voice was choked with emotion. “I just need to know if there’s anything left of whoever I was.”  
He leaned over, looking away from her. Sara stood up. She thought she’d try to be nice and rub his back a little. “You know,” she began, “Bucky is a fairly common nickname…” Actually, it wasn’t.

Bucky jumped up and glared at her. “What’re you touching me for?”

“Well, I’m sorry, I just wanted to help you feel better!”

“The only people who have touched me in the past have tried to hurt me.”

“Oh,” said Sara, now realizing how serious he was. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.”

Sara got up to ask Clara where the restroom was. Peering into the control room of the T.A.R.D.I.S., she saw that Clara was talking to the Doctor, trying to jog his memory about a  
trip to 1940s New York and a date she may have gone on the night she was there. The Doctor wasn’t giving her straight answers. 

Clara directed Sara to a restroom soon enough, and when she was done she returned almost reluctantly to the company of her moody, sullen acquaintance. They didn’t talk much for the next few minutes. Then the Doctor came into the room.

“How are we enjoying the trip, my friends?” he said, eyeing his guests carefully.

“Lovely,” Sara told him, trying to sound pleased.

The Doctor looked at Bucky. He returned eye contact reluctantly. “It’s okay.”

“Well, in the future, if there is anything I can do to make you more comfortable, let me know,” said the Doctor, “but right now, it appears I will be dropping you off sooner than  
expected.”

“What?” asked Sara.

“It appears there are some Daleks making inroads to such-and-such planet and I am needed to stop them,” said the Doctor solemnly. “I will have to drop you off on Xandar, and  
some friends of mine will take you to your destination. I will meet you there later.”

“Okay,” Bucky mumbled. It made no difference to him.

“But-but-but why can’t we help you?” Sara moaned, jumping to her feet. 

“It’s too dangerous.”

“No, I want to help. And Bucky can help you, he’s capable--he’s...got skills, yeah, am I right, Bucky?”

Bucky stared at the floor.

“You two don’t need to be chasing after me,” said the Doctor, holding Sara by the shoulders. “If anything were to happen to either of you, especially him, your stories would be  
ruined forever. Doesn’t he have a best friend he’s trying to get back to?”

“Yes, but--” Sara began.

Bucky cut her off. “You mean a best friend who’s trying to get back to me? He’s no friend of mine, sir. Just someone who came around and made life difficult for me.”

Sara felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

“We’ll leave you, sir,” said Bucky. “We’re sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It’s all right, my young friend,” said the Doctor. “Just try to be patient with her. She’s only trying to help you.”

Sara wondered what the Doctor meant by ‘young’ friend. But then she remembered that ninety years old was nothing compared to the Gallifreyan’s millennium. 

“I suppose you two are adequately dressed for the occasion,” said the Doctor. “We can save the Glamours for later. They will have breathing apparatus for you.” He turned to  
leave the room. “Clara, are we approaching Xandar now?”

Sara turned to Bucky.

“Since when is Steve not your best friend?”

“Steve who?” Bucky snapped. He stood up slowly. He was nearly a foot taller than her, and when he looked down at her with those blue eyes she suddenly felt small and  
intimidated. “Steve is crazy. I’m not the man he remembers. The only reason we’re on this quest is to prove it.”

“You are right, there may be a chance you aren’t the friend he remembers,” Sara admitted reluctantly.

“You will help me find out who I am, but you will not mention this Steve guy again. Is that clear?”

Sara wouldn’t say anything.

Bucky stepped away from her to return to the control room of the T.A.R.D.I.S.

“You don’t have to be so mean about it!” she blurted after him. She sulked for a moment. Working with him was proving to be much harder than expected. But she remembered  
that they were only beginning their journey. 

 

Xandar

Feeling calmer, she returned to the control room. Bucky was standing close to the Doctor. He glanced up when she entered. Sara stayed away. 

“I think we’re about there,” said the Doctor. “I hope you two will get along while I’m not here to look after you.”

“Oh, stop it, Doctor!” said Clara. She smiled at Bucky and said, “She doesn’t mean you any harm.”

Bucky returned the smile halfheartedly.

“Hold it!” said the Doctor. He went up the tunnel to the doorway. “Aha! We are here! And our friends are waiting to greet us. Splendid! Hello, Quill! Come on up, you lot.”

Sara and Bucky climbed out of the tunnel to exit the T.A.R.D.I.S., followed by Clara. 

They were standing in a place full of bright sunshine and open sky. The T.A.R.D.I.S. had parked on what looked to be some kind of landing platform. Below them spread the spires and buildings of a magnificent city the likes of which Sara had never seen before. The floating cars confirmed that this city was nowhere on earth.

“Whoa,” said Bucky, glancing briefly at the scene. 

“Over here, you two!” the Doctor called to them. He and Clara had crossed the platform to the shadow of a large spaceship. With them were a group of individuals the likes of which Sara had a hard time believing at first were real. She and Bucky walked up to greet them.

“Miss Martin, Mr. Barnes, I would like you to meet Peter Quill, skipper of the Milano and Ravager Extraordinaire.”

“I’ve told you twice already, Doc,” said Quill, “It’s Star-Lord. I don’t go by Quill anymore.” Peter Quill was about the same height as Bucky and had more pronounced facial hair, which was dark blond and curly like the kind on his head. He wore a red leather jacket that reached to his calves and his other clothes were not what an average earthling would wear.

“How do you do?” said Sara, shaking hands.

“And this is the new crew that Star-Lord has acquired since I last saw him,” said the Doctor, gesturing to the other beings behind him. Quill stepped aside.

“I’m Gamora,” said a woman with green skin who wore a tight-fitting black dress. 

“Drax,” nodded a man with dark blue skin with red tattoos.

“Rocket,” said a short creature standing behind Drax. He looked like a raccoon, but he wore an orange leather suit and carried himself much the same way a human would. “And  
this here’s Groot.” He gestured to a tree-like being standing beside him.

The tree nodded. “I am Groot.” Groot was the tallest of the group, easily eight feet tall.

“How do you do?” said Sara. “It is...very nice to meet you all. Any friend of the Doctor’s is a friend of mine.”

“And...I don’t have friends,” said Bucky.

Quill sniffed. “So where is it you wanted to take them again? That burger joint the next galaxy over?”

“Cosmo’s, yes,” said the Doctor. “You may have to take them further, if the person they are looking for isn’t there.”

“That’ll cost you extra,” said Quill. “I could see to it they get a ride.”

“They are going into a story vastly different from their own,” said the Doctor. “They must spend as little time there as possible or risk being trapped forever.”

“Wouldn’t mind that, actually,” Bucky muttered.

“Right little ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” said Rocket.

“That’s not me,” said the Doctor, “that’s just how the universe works.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” said Rocket. “Scruffy over there.”

The Doctor turned to Quill. “I will pay you extra on your return.”

“Done,” said Quill. They shook hands. “You two can get on board,” he said, eyeing Sara and Bucky suspiciously. Sara glanced away to look at the others but Gamora and Drax  
were glancing back at them with equal mistrust. 

She almost wished Emily were there so she could say if she knew what was on their minds. Heck, she wished Emily was here to see this strange new world they had arrived on.  
Was it in her home galaxy?

“Come on, we don’t have all day,” Quill urged them. 

Sara shook hands with the Doctor. “I still think I’d rather be helping you fight the Daleks,” she whispered.

“Oh, darling, it will be all right,” said the Doctor. “Maybe on the way back I’ll see if I can squeeze in a good scrap for you.” He winked. Sara giggled.

“My friend,” he nodded to Bucky. Bucky nodded back.

“Goodbye, Sara,” said Clara. “I’ll see you soon, I hope.”

“See you soon,” Sara answered her. She exchanged nods with Bucky and turned to leave.

“And remember, the both of them come back alive, especially the gentleman,” the Doctor said to Quill before turning away.

“So is the girl more or less expendable?”

“Less,” said the Doctor, “but I want her back alive, too.”

“Whatever.”

With some trepidation, Sara led the way on a small ramp into the belly of the Milano, following after Quill’s crew. Bucky had his arms so deep in his pockets that his elbows stuck  
out at a comic angle. 

 

The Milano

There was cool air blowing inside the ship. They had emerged into some cargo hold. Quill invited them upstairs to the cockpit. There were enough seats for Quill and three of his companions, but he invited Sara and Bucky to sit on a fold-out bench in the back. Groot was crouched next to them.

“Is the takeoff a little bumpy?” asked Sara.

Quill squirmed his face. “Maybe when we go through the atmosphere. Nothing terrible.”

“They might be a little gullible for you to be teasing them, sir,” said Gamora.

“Enough with the ‘sir,’ Gamora,” said Quill, “it’s Star-Lord, Captain, or Peter. Got it?”

The crew buckled into their seats. 

“Whatever you say,” said Gamora. “But this is your first time in Space, isn’t it?” she asked their two passengers. Sara and Bucky both gave an affirmative. “See, you shouldn’t be  
picking on them.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” said Sara, “but what planet are we on right now?”

“Xandar, the central planet of the Nova Alliance,” said Gamora. “You should come back and visit some time. Not to our taste, really, but you two might like it.”

The spaceship began to glide over the city and into the clouds. Quill hit a button and some music began playing over a stereo, but it wasn’t very alien music, it sounded like seventies or eighties. 

Sara noticed something tickling her legs and saw long vines wrapping around her chest and legs. Groot was seated on her right. He smiled at her and nodded. Bucky was absolutely befuddled. 

“Uh, get this off me,” he said quietly, trying to push away the vines.

“So where are we headed?” asked Rocket. 

“Cosmo’s Burger Bar,” said Quill. The engine of the spaceship began to hum louder.

“I’ve never heard of this establishment,” said Drax, who had remained silent to this moment.

“It’s a small joint, nice burgers, I’ve had them,” said Quill. “Actually probably the closest I’ve had to Earthling food out here.”

“Where is it?’ asked Gamora.

“Oh, it’s, uh, er, on the other side of the such-and-such arm, past the this-and-that barrier.” Something was flustering him.

“But, that would make it outside the galaxy,” said Gamora.

“I know, it is,” Quill nodded. The sky faded from blue to black and they were soaring among the stars. 

“Wait, why are we leaving the galaxy?” asked Drax.

“Wait a sec, that’s not where you said we were going,” Rocket drawled.

“I said we were going to be helping some friends get someplace,” said Quill. “That’s all I said.”

“I am Groot,” said Groot.

“But Star-Lord, haven’t you thought this out?” asked Rocket. “We’re the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, quote-on-quote, but we’re doing a sorry job of living up to that calling if we’re  
taking a trip out of the galaxy.”

“He is right, Captain,” said Drax. “Perhaps this is not advisable.”

“I am Groot,” said Groot. He was shaking his head.

“And whadda you know about it, Groot?” Rocket called back to him. “How do we know this place isn’t some dump on the other side of the quadrant?”

“It’s an actual place, I promise!” said Quill, waving his hands defensively. “It’s just...a little hard to get to.”

They were traveling through hyperspace or something like that, the way the stars were streaking past them outside. It was almost dizzying for Sara to watch. Bucky might have  
been more interested had he not been trying to squirm out of Groot’s improvised safety restraints.

“But I’m a good pilot,” said Quill, “good enough to know where we’re going and how to get there. It just takes a little extra-dimensional crossing, is all. We’re not leaving the galaxy, we’re just trying to help someone get across it. We’ll go straight back after we’ve dropped them off. How’s that?”

“And this Doctor guy is paying us pretty good to do this job for him?” asked Rocket. 

“Through the nose.”

“Good. I wouldn’t go through with it otherwise.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m not doing this guy a favor,” said Quill. “He saved me once, not long before I met you guys, I was in a tight corner during a salvage operation and he got me  
out. You should see the inside of his spaceship, it’s pretty wicked.”

“So that’s how you know the Doctor, is it?” called Sara from the back. 

“Yeah,” Quill said, tipping his head side-to-side, “It’s a sordid story, actually. It probably would take longer to explain to two earthlings than we have time left on this trip.”

“Well, we want to hear it,” said Gamora.

“Yeah,” grunted Drax.

“You guys can hear it on the way back,” said Quill. 

“So are you an earthling?” Sara asked Quill.

“I am,” said Quill. “Or was. A half a one. Found out very recently that the other half of me is something weird. I guess I’ll find out eventually. Where are you guys from? On  
Earth, that is?”

“I’m from Minnesota, Minneapolis,” said Sara. “And Bucky here isn’t sure where he’s from, but a real long time ago he was from...Brooklyn, I think it was.”

“He does have a bit of a Yank accent,” Quill commented.

Sara saw Bucky struggling against Groot’s vines. She wasn’t sure what to say to him.

“Will someone get this plant off me?” Bucky grunted, trying to pull his arms out of the weedy vise.

“Groot, take it easy on him, will ya?” Rocket called back.

Groot shrugged. “I am Groot.”

“Alright then, Bunkey or Binkey or whatever your name is, stop struggling. We don’t have extra seatbelts so Groot’s just trying to take care of you.”

“Really? Because it feels an awful lot like he’s trying to kill me!” Bucky growled through clenched teeth.

Sara thought Bucky looked really uncomfortable. “You guys, I think Bucky doesn’t like being wrapped up like that. You should probably let him go.” She looked at Groot. Groot  
eyed her and Bucky with sympathy. He relaxed his vines. Bucky collapsed on his improvised seat, panting for breath.

“At least it wasn’t Devil’s Snare,” Sara said to him, not caring if he didn’t get the reference.

“You guys can get up and walk around the cabin now, actually,” said Quill. “We won’t be there for another few--wait, nevermind,” he said, pulling a lever on his dashboard. “We’re here.”

“Is this it?” asked Gamora skeptically. 

“Not quite,” said Quill. “Cosmo’s is just on the other side of this thing.”

Sara stared through the front window. There was a slight bend in the stars in front of them, like some invisible object were pushing them out of the way or distorting the picture.

She suddenly had a recollection from a science show she had watched.

“Is that--a black hole?” she asked.

“Girl knows her stuff,” said Quill.

“We are not flying into that thing, are we?” asked Gamora, a note of panic in her voice.

“No, we’re not,” Quill clarified. “We are going over and around it. On the other side is a trans-dimensional rip where we can cross to the neighboring galaxy.”

“So that’s how you do it,” said Rocket.

Drax looked back at Bucky and Sara. Bucky was leaning over in his chair. Sara was afraid he might be about to get sick. 

“I’m feeling warm,” said Bucky. He removed his jacket. Underneath it was a threadbare red sweater, so thin that she could see the metal arm through the left sleeve.

“What’s the matter with him?” asked Drax.

“Bucky here’s--he’s been through a rough time,” said Sara. “They--some bad people, i guess--they brainwashed him and made him into an assassin. He’s trying to recover,  
still.”

“They’re going to see someone at this Cosmo’s place to see if they can find his memories,” Quill explained. Rocket nodded, turning back to observe them. 

“Some of it involved being strapped to a chair,” Sara added to Groot. “So go easy on the safety restraints.”

“Who are you going to see, exactly?” asked Gamora.

“We don’t know, actually,” said Sara. “A princess of some sort, with mystical powers that can see into his brain. A Tangean, I think the Doctor said she was.”

“I’ve never heard of that race,” said Gamora to Quill.

“Don’t look at me, I don’t go over to this burger place very often.”

“Well, I hope you find her,” said Drax.

Sara and Bucky looked up at Groot. He gave them a slow nod. “I am Groot.”

“Groot says he feels sorry for you,” Rocket translated.

“Sir, the black hole’s gravitational field is beginning to pull on us,” Gamora announced.

“Stop calling me ‘sir’, Miss Marcie. I was beginning to notice that. We’ll just pull over this way.” Quill steered the ship to one side. The black hole loomed before them like a  
moon, except it gave them no light, only more darkness, and the stars around it were blurred and stretched.

“We’re still at a safe distance,” Quill said to his anxious passengers. “We just hover around the edge of the gravitational field until we find the --RIP!”

The Milano swerved out of control and everyone yelled as they fell sideways.

Sara and Bucky rolled onto the floor, slamming into each other. As the ship righted, she scrambled off of him. Groot had wedged himself into the opposite corner and was  
growing vines to secure himself to the ceiling and wall.

Then an alarm went off on the ship.

“Oh, crap, now what?” Quill griped.

“It’s the such-and-such stabilizer, sir,” said Gamora, climbing back into the copilot seat as the ship bucked again. “The gravitational field of the black hole must have ripped it.”

“Rocket, Drax, get down there and see if you can fix it!” Quill shouted.

“Right, Captain,” said Drax as he and Rocket unbuckled.

In spite of the danger, Sara, curious, followed them down the hatch to the cargo bay. 

“Wait, where are you going?” shouted Bucky, running after her.

“Where is she going?” Quill shouted.

They found Rocket and Drax in the cargo bay pulling some wires out of a side panel--or rather Rocket was digging in the panel with his tail sticking out while Drax watched him wondering how he was supposed to help.

Quill came down the hatch. He shouted down the opening to Rocket. “Rocket, do you need anything?”

Rocket resurfaced, his fur singed. “I certainly do not need two helpless bystanders watching me tear this such-and-such apart.”

Quill looked at Sara and Bucky, frowning. “You two had better get back up there.”

“No, I meant the girl and Drax,” said Rocket, throwing a broken, sparking wire at Drax. “I need the guy, Binkey, what was his name?”

“Bucky!” said Sara. 

“Bucky, then!”

Quill groaned. “Rocket, not now!”

“I also need you to get me a cyber-wrench,” said Rocket. 

“Fine!” said Quill. He stormed back up the hatch. 

“What do you need him for?” Drax shouted over the alarm. 

“I need his arm, you doofus!” Rocket shouted back at him. He looked at Bucky.

“What?” Sara gasped.

“My arm? What do you need my arm for?” asked Bucky. He hugged his metal arm to his side.

“I just need it! Give it to me!” he screeched. 

“No!” Bucky’s face was almost too painful for her to look at.

“What do you want his arm for?” Sara shouted at him.

Peter Quill returned to the cargo bay and tossed a tool at Rocket. Rocket caught it and crawled back into the ship’s interior. 

“You two come with me!” Quill shouted at his two passengers. They unsteadily climbed back into the hold as the Milano continued to buck violently. The black hole was visible  
from the edge of the front window, a gaping mouth ready to swallow them. She felt a vine from Groot clutching around her and she grabbed it back, and with her free hand she  
took a hold of Bucky by his right arm.

“What was going on down there?” Gamora yelled at Quill.

Quill yelled something back at her as he wrestled with the controls. All of a sudden, a purple-green beam of light crossed the front of their view, and Quill hit the accelerator and  
they swooped right into it. There was an almighty BUMP and it passed beneath the Milano. And then everything was still.

“What happened? Did we stall?” asked Gamora.

“No, I think Rocket fixed the stabilizer,” said Quill.

And just at that moment, a disheveled Rocket and an exhausted-looking Drax came climbing back into the cockpit.

“There, we fixed it,” Rocket wheezed. “Whew! That was a close one.”

“Where are we, sir?” asked Drax.

“We’re in the next galaxy over,” said Quill. “I apologize for the rough ride, but the stabilizer giving out was unexpected.”

“Maybe next time you won’t push too close to the edge of a black hole,” Gamora glared at him.

“Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve made this trip,” said Quill. “Trans-dimensional barriers are hard to find.”

“Trans-dimensional barriers are a typical feature of supermassive black holes,” snarled Rocket. “We are NEVER doing that again.”

“All right, all right, I promise on the trip back I won’t be so cocky. Geez.”

“If this is a trans-dimensional barrier, though,” said Gamora soberly, “we aren’t exactly in the next galaxy. We’re in a different dimension altogether.” 

“Yeah, well, we are in another galaxy,” said Quill. “So I wasn’t entirely lying.” 

Groot let himself down from the ceiling. 

Sara looked from him to Rocket. “So what did you want Bucky’s arm for?” 

“Oh, that,” Rocket shrugged. “Ha haha ha ha, I didn’t really need it, I was just teasing you.”

“Rocket has a fetish for prosthetics,” Gamora said.

“Oh,” Sara nodded. Bucky rubbed his arm protectively, glancing angrily at her and at the racoon. “I still don’t think that was very nice of you, doing that when we were in an  
emergency situation. And haven’t I made it clear that Bucky isn’t good at getting jokes?”

“My apologies,” said Rocket, giving a mock bow.

“He’s not as sorry as he’s going to be,” said Quill.

“Hey, it’s not every day you run across a cybernetic arm like that!” said Rocket. “I mean, that one’s a beauty, whooeee!” He turned to Bucky. “Oh, can’t I just get a closer look at that?”

“No!” Bucky shouted.

“C’mon, let me!” Rocket jumped onto Bucky. Bucky screamed. Rocket made a grab for the arm and Bucky attempted in vain to swing the creature off.

“Rocket, get off him!” shouted Sara. She tried to grab Rocket, but he clung to the metal arm and stayed well out of her grasp.

“I am Groot,” Groot said in the background.

“You’re not the boss of me, Groot!” shouted Rocket. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime--”

“I am Groot!” Groot repeated with more emphasis.

“Get off of me, you filthy--” Bucky shouted, exasperated.

“Please, I just want to touch it!” Rocket pleaded.

“You are touching it!” said Sara.

“Ex-ca-youse me!” shouted Quill. The ruckus stopped. “We are approaching our destination.  
Out the window there was a stream of spaceships floating past what appeared to be a satellite or space station shaped like a cheeseburger. The neon lights boldly proclaimed the name COSMO’S.

“Just get off me,” said Bucky to Rocket.

“Fine,” said Rocket, sighing. Bucky lowered his arm and Rocket sank off it onto the floor.

Sara looked up at Groot. 

“I am Groot,” he said apologetically.

“Don’t worry about Rocket,” said Drax. “The little fiend gets carried away sometimes.”

“Carried away? Haven’t you seen this thing?” Rocket shouted, pointing at Bucky’s arm. “Do you blame me?”

Bucky did a quick search of the floor of the cockpit. “Where’s my jacket?”

“I am Groot,” said Groot. He was holding up the jacket.

“Thanks,” said Bucky, sounding anything but grateful. “And I’ll thank you to leave my stuff alone.”

Groot looked at Sara. She shrugged. “That’s Bucky for you.”

Bucky was looking at the floor when he felt a large, leafy shoulder touch him. He looked up. Groot was looking at him. 

“I am Groot.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Bucky, looking away.

Groot frowned a little. 

The Milano reached the landing platform of the burger joint. 

“Well, I don’t know about you guys,” said Quill, “but I’m feeling hungry. Who else wants a burger?”

“Sounds good. I’ll try whatever food’s in this place,” said Rocket.

“I’m not hungry,” said Gamora. “I think I’ll take a nap.” She reclined the co-pilot’s chair and sprawled in it gracelessly. 

“What, come on!” Quill urged her. “We jumped a trans-dimensional barrier and hopped out of our own galaxy just to get to a burger joint, and you’re telling me you’re not  
hungry?”

“I’ve rather lost my appetite.”

“Suit yourself.”

“I am also not inclined to enter this establishment,” said Drax. “Why don’t you bring me something?”

“I’ll get you some fries, then,” said Quill. 

“I am Groot.”

“I’ll be right back, Groot,” said Rocket.

“Goodbye,” Gamora waved at them as Sara and Bucky followed Quill and Rocket out of the cockpit.

“Bye.”

 

Cosmo’s Diner

In the cargo bay, Quill opened a small cabinet. There were gloves as well as what looked like Bluetooth devices.

“What are those?” Sara asked as Quill distributed the items.

“They’re space masks,” said Quill. “Observe.” He was already wearing one behind his ear. He pressed some part of it, and it spread around his chin and forehead and covered his  
face.

“We wear these when we go outside and there’s no atmosphere.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I bought these after these guys teamed up with me. Sure beats those dorky space suits some other people wear.” Sara fitted her piece behind her ear, and Quill pressed the  
button for her. It was a very thick, dark mask and would have been stuffy if there wasn’t an air current already inside it. Rocket had a specialized mask that fit over his furry  
snout.

She nearly did a double-take as Quill helped Bucky fit into his. It was bad enough that the masks looked almost frightening on the outside, but on Bucky’s face…

“Just follow me,” said Quill, his voice husky through his mask. He lowered the door to the ship and they walked outside.

Outer space was cool but not terribly cold. 

“I know it looks easy,” said Quill, “but you don’t ever want to stay out in this too long.” He made a beeline for the door. But Sara and Bucky lagged behind. He had caught her staring at him.

“What?” said Bucky.

“It’s nothing,” said Sara, afraid to say it. “It’s just that...with the mask on...you look like--”

“I know, I know,” Bucky nodded. He watched his reflection in the glass as they approached. 

The space restaurant had automatic sliding doors but no air lock. There was a bar that wrapped around a circular kitchen and tables on the opposite wall. They tapped their masks off to savor the air and the smell of grilling hamburger. Sara wondered how long it had been since Quiznos’. It had to at least be dinner time, by her stomach’s reckoning.

“So what do we got here?” said Rocket, looking around and rubbing his hands.

Sara saw one or two other humans not of their party, but there were aliens in abundance, bug-eyed, big-eared, long-snouted, double-mouthed, every possible distortion one could think of. They all wore tight-fitting suits with angled pieces. But she was at a loss to say where she had seen these creatures before or what story they were in at the moment.

“That’s the man, right there,” said Quill, pointing to a cash register. There was a fat alien guy with a skinny head who wore an orange suit under a greasy apron and a hat, and he had scruff on his chin. He was talking with a waitress who looked like she had a giant cat’s head. Quill approached him. “Hey there, Cosmo, right?”

The man looked up at them. “Hey, hey, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you around, Star-Lord!”

“Far too long, Cosmo,” said Quill, shaking hands with the fellow. “A classic cheeseburger and fries for me, plus that sirulian berry cheesecake shake, size large.”

“Right away!” said Cosmo. The waitress stepped aside. “And how about for your friends?”

“I’ll have the same,” said Sara, not sure what a silurian berry was.

“And I’ll have a---” Bucky stammered. He looked at Sara. “What do they have here? Do they have sandwiches like that last place?”

“We have our house specialty BLT,” Cosmo suggested. 

“What’s on it?”

“Bacon, lettuce, and Tomarind.”

“What’s tomarind?” asked Sara.

“It’s like Tomato,” Quill reassured them.

“BLT it is, then!” said Cosmo. “Anything on the side for you? Fries? Neptune Rings?”

“That’ll be all,” said Bucky.

“Just get him a glass of water,” said Sara.

“And I’ll have a Kopsradish sandwich, if you serve that here,” Rocket piped up, his head barely visible above the bar.

“Uh--” Cosmo was at a loss. “Kopsradish? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“How about get him your drullis-breast salad sandwich,” Quill suggested.

“Right then, will that be all?” said Cosmo.

“All on me,” said Quill, removing some strange coins and bills from his pocket. “And throw on an extra small fry, if you don’t mind, for my friends back on board.”

“Will do!” Cosmo rang them up eagerly. “You guys have a seat, we’ll have your food ready in a minute!” Cosmo handed Quill the receipt and went back to the kitchen. 

“Do you guys care to sit down?” asked Quill, gesturing to an empty booth not far from the cash register. Sara and Bucky took one side, Quill and Rocket another.

“So what do they serve in this joint, anyhow, mugluck-scraps?” said Rocket.

“They serve food,” said Quill. “Amazing food! The best burgers I’ve eaten anywhere--the only burgers, actually, that I’ve had since I left Earth. I’ve said that before, haven’t I?”

“How long ago was that?” asked Sara.

“Me? I was abducted when I was nine.”

“Oh, really?” Sara exclaimed.

“Naw, I’ve gotten used to it,” Quill brushed it aside. “They were supposed to take me to my father, but I convinced them to keep me instead. Just been livin’ the good life ever  
since.”

The cat-headed waitress arrived with their drinks. Quill winked at her and slurped his milkshake. “Ahhhhh.”

Sara took a tentative sip. Then another. Then she choked down the stuff that was in her mouth.

“I don’t think I want this,” she said. “It tastes like...garbage, almost.”

“Here, I’ll take it,” said Quill. Sara passed him her milkshake. 

“So how did you find out about this place?” Sara asked him.

“Well, I’d heard there was a trans-dimensional rip just beyond that black hole from the other pilots I know,” said Quill. “I wanted to see if I could find anything beyond it. Normally  
I don’t get so close that my stabilizers stretch, I’m sorry you had to go through that. One-time thing.”

“That’s all right,” said Sara. 

Bucky stirred the ice water in his cup. 

“You okay?” Sara asked him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Bucky.

“It’s okay,” said Sara, trying to pat his arm.

“Don’t touch me!” he recoiled. “What is it with you and trying to touch me?”

“Human touch is good for you.”

Bucky only glared at her. Sara scooted away from him.

“So what is this Tangean person going to do to me?” asked Bucky. 

“I don’t know,” said Sara. “I feel like I should remember what that is, but I don’t.” They passed the time waiting for their order with Sara making small talk with Quill and Rocket  
and Bucky stirring his cup.

The waitress returned with a loaded tray. 

“All right! Yeah!” said Quill as his burger was placed before him.

“Well, it smells good, I guess I’ll go ahead and eat it,” said Rocket, sniffing suspiciously.

“Excuse me,” Sara asked the waitress, “but you know of any Tangean persons who hang around this joint?”

“Tangeans, ha,” the waitress rolled her eyes. “You’d be hard-put to find one that’s right enough to leave their planet, much less hang around a joint like this--except their  
princess, though. She comes around here a lot.”

“Really?” asked Sara. “It was a princess we were looking for.”

“Well, lucky you,” said the waitress. “Team Lightyear is a regular around here. About due for another visit, I think. Ranger Nova’s a nice enough girl, I think she could help you  
with...whatever it is you wanted.” She glanced at Bucky, then nodded and walked away with the tray under her arm.

“Ranger Nova, hm, now that’s a nice name,” Quill mused around a mouthful of cheesburger.

“I think ‘Ranger’ might be more of a title,” said Rocket. 

“Ranger…” Sara pondered. “Ranger as in ‘Space Ranger,’ perhaps?”

“What does that mean?” Bucky asked as he swallowed a bite of his BLT.

“Lightyear,” Sara said. “Space Rangers...Buzz Lightyear, yes! I know where we are now!” 

“Where are we, then?” asked Rocket, taking a bite of Quill’s fries.

“Buzz Lightyear of Star Command...it was a TV show. Buzz Lightyear’s origin story. Ever heard of him?” she asked Quill.

“Girl, I got abducted in the eighties,” said Quill. “I am sure that was well after my time.”

“It was,” said Sara. “Buzz Lightyear was a character in the Toy Story movies--the first one came out in the nineties, so yeah, you would have missed him. He was a pretty cool toy.  
A pretty cool guy in his own story, too. And Mira Nova…” Her face fell and she looked at Bucky.

Bucky swallowed his BLT nervously. He had only taken a few bites of the sandwich. He put it down and didn’t eat any more. Sara wished she hadn’t said anything.

It was when Sara had finished her cheeseburger (which tasted about like what an earthling cheeseburger should taste) that she saw a rocket ship, white with green markings, landing outside on the far side of the platform from the Milano. 

“That’s gotta be them,” said Sara.

The waitress asked Bucky if he wanted a to-go box, but he said he was fine in spite of Sara’s protestations that he finish the sandwich later.

“I guess this is where we leave you,” said Quill after the waitress had removed their trash.

“Here, you’ll want these back--” Sara began to remove her borrowed earpiece.

“No, keep ‘em,” said Quill. “You’ll wanna have them for when the Doctor picks you up. I can always get more.”

Rocket and Quill slid out of their booth, Quill taking the extra fries for Drax, and Sara and Bucky rose to shake hands with them.

“It was nice to meet you both,” said Quill. 

“Have a safe trip back,” said Sara.

“My regards to the Doctor, and Bucky,” Quill added, making eye contact with his addressee, “good luck.”

Bucky didn’t know how to respond, and said nothing.

“See ya,” said Rocket. He waved back at them as he and Star-Lord turned to exit.

“Bye.” 

As Quill and Rocket left the building, Sara turned to see a group of people in space suits climbing out of the white rocket ship. The Milano was taking off when the four space rangers entered: a short robot with a golden head; a large, red alien fellow; a slender, red-haired maiden with pale blue skin, and a tall, muscular human with a purple cowl over his head.

“That’s them.” Sara couldn’t begin to count the years it had been since the TV show had been off the air. She gestured for Bucky to follow, and they approached the foursome.

“Hi, you guys must be Team Lightyear,” Sara said, smiling and hoping she didn’t sound too awed. 

“What, did the fans stalk us here?” exclaimed the robot. “I keep telling you, Buzz, we need to find a different place to hang out!”

“XR, just relax,” said the cowled man. He turned to shake hands with Sara. “Buzz Lightyear, space ranger. This is my crew: Mira, XR, and Booster.”

“How do you do?” said Mira.

“Who are you guys?” asked Booster.

“We’ve come to you for help,” said Sara, “specifically Mira’s help.”

“Oh?” said Mira. 

“My name is Sara. This is my friend Bucky. He’s...been having a hard time remembering who he is.”

“You need me to pick his brain?”

“I was told you would be willing to help,” said Sara. “if you could search his mind to see if...he has any of his former self left, I guess.” She turned to look at Bucky, but he backed  
away.

“That girl is NOT picking my brain!” he exclaimed. 

“Bucky, calm down, we’re going to do whatever it takes to get you help.”

“I don’t want help from her!” 

“Please, we have to try.”

Buzz grabbed Bucky by the shoulder. “Are you all right, man?”

“I’m fine,” he said. He wrenched Buzz’s hand off of him.

“Careful, he doesn’t like being touched.”

Mira rubbed her face. “That’s gonna make this really hard.”

Buzz noticed Bucky’s metal appendage. “Is that whole arm metal? Man, that’s pretty cool.”

“Don’t look at it,” Bucky said, holding it away like he was a child trying to keep away a toy.

“I don’t mean you any offense,” said Buzz casually. “You know, I have an old comrade with a metal arm like that. His is cooler, maybe, he’s got a flamethrower attached. But  
maybe you lost yours in a good cause.”

“I said don’t look at it!” Bucky growled at him. People were giving them awkward stares.

“Buzz, can I call you Buzz? I wouldn’t mention the arm, he’s...kind of sensitive about it.”

“Well, whatever’s wrong with him, I’m sure Ranger Nova here can find out what’s going on.”

Mira stared at them, not sure how she felt about Buzz volunteering her for this.

Cosmo approached them. “Buzz, hey! Get you a seat and I’ll take your order.”

“Just a moment, Cosmo,” said Buzz, “we’ve got someone who’s asked us for help. Do you have a private room?”

“Of course, around the back,” said Cosmo. “Is everything all right with your friend here?”

“We hope so,” said Mira. “Now if you will excuse us.” Mira began to walk ahead of them, tossing her head as though Bucky’s rage hadn’t shaken her.

“Booster, XR, you two fellas wait out here,” said Buzz, following after her.

Bucky looked at Sara, wondering if they would follow.

Sara looked at XR and Booster. “We’ll be right back,” she said to them.

Bucky’s footsteps were leaden as he and Sara went after Buzz and Mira. Buzz was waiting outside the door to a side room. He showed them in and closed it behind them.

It appeared to be a storeroom of sorts, and there was an extra chair waiting inside of it. Mira was standing behind the chair, gripping the back of it. She smiled and nodded.

“Have a seat,” she said to Bucky.

He looked at the chair as though he would love nothing better than to rip it to pieces, but then he sighed and sat down. He removed his baseball cap. 

“So what are you going to do?” he asked.

Mira stood in front of Bucky and moved so she could make eye contact with him. “My people are called the Tangeans. We have powers so we can manipulate matter and move our  
bodies through solid materials. We can also read and control people’s minds.”

“And how does that work?” Bucky nearly shook with rage.

“I’m going to put my hand into your brain,” she said. “When I touch it, I can look into your mind and see what’s there. Is that what you need me to do?”

His face was rigid with anger and fear. Hers was a nervousness held back with coolness and firm resolve. 

“Is that what you need me to do?” Mira repeated.

“Yes,” said Sara.

“Okay. Is he going to get violent?” she asked Sara.  
“I’d sure love to,” Bucky muttered.  
“Bucky, here--Sara,” said Mira, gesturing for Sara to approach the patient. “Bucky, I want you to hold Sara’s hand as tight as you can. Just press it. Try hard not to crush it.”  
“Buzz, if he does anything,” she looked up at Buzz and nodded. Buzz nodded back.  
Sara moved to Bucky’s right side.  
“Just relax,” said Mira. She took a deep breath. She moved her hand not onto Bucky’s head but into it. There was a faint blue glow around her wrist as she moved inside his cranium, along with a weird sound. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.  
“I’m right here,” Bucky,” Sara said. Bucky was gripping her hand as hard as he could. Sara held on but noticed that he was breaking out into a sweat.  
“There’s something in here,” said Mira as she moved her hand inside his head. “Something...not quite right...oh, that looks interesting...ugh!” She jumped back a little.  
“What is it?” asked Buzz.  
“Oh man,” she gasped. Bucky grimaced, his face twitching as she examined him. He was trying very hard not to scream. Buzz hovered over them, ready to pounce on Bucky if he lashed out.  
“Oh, ugh!” she said at last, retrieving her hand. “I think that was about all I could find.” She massaged her wrist. “Agh!”  
Bucky fell forward on his chair, gasping and looking pale.  
“Do you feel all right?” she asked him.

“Might be sick,” Bucky stammered. Sara grabbed a bucket, surprised she could still use her hand after how tight he had squeezed it. Bucky leaned over the bucket but did not vomit. He looked at Sara, exhausted by the ordeal. Sara patted him on the back, and he did not protest. 

“This is why I am NOT going into therapy!” Mira exclaimed. “I told you to relax! Most of the people I do this to are unconscious.” 

Mira found a small heater sticking out of the side of the wall and she placed her hand on it. “I’ve never felt a brain that cold before,” she said. 

“Cold?” asked Buzz.

“Yes, cold,” said Mira. “There was ice in there. A lot of it’s melted or partway melted. It may be what’s causing a lot of his problems.”

“Well, that makes sense, though,” said Sara. “He’s been cryogenically frozen off and on for the past seventy years.”

Bucky groaned. He pushed the bucket aside and leaned over the floor on his hands and knees.

“So what else did you find?” Sara asked Mira. 

“Did this guy used to be an assassin of some sort?”

“Yes,” said Sara.

“Well, that explains the carnage and violence I saw a lot of in there. But under and around that were different things...kind of hard to explain. I guess he’s been wandering around for a while, which explains some of the sad and lonely parts. But there’s things that I guess might be his childhood or kind of a past. They were very faint, faded, and if there were images I couldn’t see them very well. He was a normal guy once, I can tell you that. Did he have a friend he was particularly close to in his former life?”

“Yes,” Sara began, “his name was--”

“You don’t need to tell me the details. This friend was in some of those memories. I didn’t know if this was a memory glitch but I had a hard time focusing on what the friend  
looked like, he was either short and skinny or really tall and buff.”

“That part’s not a glitch.”

“Interesting. Did these two friends fight in a war together, and the best friend was armed with a small shield?”

“That’s him,” Sara nodded.

“Well,” said Mira, “maybe you know more about it than I do. These good memories, like I said, there weren’t many of them. I couldn’t see them clearly. It’s like someone was  
trying to press them out of him.” Mira looked at a loss for words.

“That’s more or less what happened,” said Sara.

“The bad parts,” Mira began, “it looks like he was operated on by someone, that’s where he got the metal arm, and then they trained him...whoever it was controlling him wasn’t  
very nice. They beat him into submission. Tied him to a chair and...electrocuted him.” She looked down at Bucky. “I am so sorry. It looks like you’ve had a terrible life.”

“Well, thanks for stating the obvious,” Bucky growled at her.

“But the point is, his memories are still in there,” Sara said.

“Yes, they are,” said Mira. “The trick, however, is being able to retrieve them. Tell me, Bucky, if you think really hard, can you remember any of the things I’ve described from  
seeing in your brain? Anything?”

Bucky looked away for a moment. He closed his eyes. “I can’t...I can start to see things...but as soon as anything takes shape, I don’t know what it is, it just falls away and I don’t  
know what it was.

“You know,” said Buzz, “all this sounds an awful lot like brainwashing. You know, I got brainwashed once. It wasn’t fun, the guys took my memories and made me think I was  
someone else, and they used my knowledge from my former life to build weapons.” Buzz laughed. “Oh, it was fun getting out of that scrape.”

“And how did you remember?” Sara asked him.

“Well, my team came looking for me. They talked to me and worked with me. Eventually something they said stuck out and it all came back. But I guess it wasn’t anything as bad as what you’ve been going through,” he shrugged, “sorry, I’m just trying to help here.”

“So if he’s going to be able to remember who he is,” said Mira, “he needs to find people who know him, perhaps, try to see if they can get him to remember anything.”

“You could also hit him really hard over the head,” Buzz suggested. “It’s worked on me several times.”

“He’s actually been running away from people who know him,” said Sara, helping Bucky to his feet. “He’s afraid they’ll try to hurt him. Nobody seems able to convince him that they won’t.” She looked steadily into Bucky’s eyes. But he looked away. 

“Do you know what kind of a person he was before all of ...this...happened?” Mira said, gesturing lamely at his arm.

“Not really,” said Sara. “I know one or two people who might. But thank you both for your help. We are looking for other ways to help him to remember.”

“Good luck with that,” said Buzz. He shook hands with Sara and Bucky. Bucky didn’t show any hostility toward Buzz but glanced angrily back at Mira.

“It was nice to meet you,” said Sara to Mira. “Thank you for your help. At least we know something’s still in there.”

“Right.” 

“I’ll follow you out,” Sara said to Buzz. Buzz led the way out of the side room and they walked through the restaurant back to where XR and Booster were seated.

“About time!” the robot exclaimed. “You guys were taking forever!”

“I just thought it would be better to wait for you guys to order food,” Booster said shyly.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” said Buzz as he and Mira slid into the booth. “For future reference, you don’t have to wait for us.”

“Buzz, they’re just trying to be nice,” said Mira.

“So, did you two get the help you needed?” Booster asked Sara and Bucky.

“I think we did,” Sara told them. Bucky nodded. “We’ve got a long ways to go yet, I’m afraid. We’re just--”

Bucky gave her an elbow in the ribs.

“What?”

“Is that the Doctor and Clara?”

“I think so,” said Sara. “Oh, dear.”

Clara and the doctor had entered the restaurant wearing large space helmets that looked more like antique scuba suits.

“That’s our ride,” she said to Team Lightyear. “We’ll be on our way. It was nice meeting you all.” She took Bucky by the hand to lead him to the Doctor. Bucky looked back as he  
was led. Mira Nova gave him a nod and a smile and an awkward wave. He managed a faint smile back--a very faint one. He wasn’t sure how well he felt about their encounter.

“Hello, there!” said the Doctor as they approached. “Did you two have any trouble getting here?”

“Not really,” said Sara.

“And the Tangean princess, did she make it here?”

“She’s back there.”

“Good, good. I suspect you’re ready to be off, then. Come along, Clara, they don’t have anything edible here.” 

Clara didn’t seem to mind leaving right away. The doctor turned to ask Sara if she and Bucky had breathing devices, and she pointed to the clips that Star-lord had given them. 

They left the restaurant and walked across the landing platform to the waiting T.A.R.D.I.S. 

In the T.A.R.D.I.S., Clara and the Doctor removed their helmets and collected Sara and Bucky’s breathing devices.

“I guess it’s good to be back,” said Sara. “Nice to have a place to sit down and rest--if it doesn’t take too long to get to our next destination.”

“Well, do you have the next riddle from the Loremaster?” asked the Doctor.

“I do.” Sara pulled the paper from out of the pocket.

“The rhyme for the next direction will be on the right of the first one.” 

Sara read, with Clara and Bucky looking over her shoulder:

Keepers of memories are your baby teeth,  
So seek their collector and she will bequeath.

“The Tooth Fairy? Are we supposed to go see the Tooth Fairy next?” asked Sara.

“Indeed we are,” said the Doctor, beginning to make adjustments to the control panel.

“So she’s real, then?”

“In this dimension we are going to visit, yes.”

 

Tooth’s Palace

The Doctor announced that it was bedtime on Sara and Bucky’s biological clocks, and since the trip to the Tooth fairy would take a good eight to ten hours T.A.R.D.I.S. time, it would be best if they retired to bed. Clara showed them to two guest bedrooms beside the lounge, complete with a small bathroom in between. The T.A.R.D.I.S. furnished nightclothes and bathrobes for each of them, but Bucky never even touched his and went to bed without much encouragement.

When they woke, Clara had a hot breakfast for them waiting in the lounge, sausage and eggs. The Doctor came and informed them that they had already reached their destination  
but they could leave when they were ready.

“So what’s this Tooth Fairy going to do to me?” asked Bucky.

“Well, I can promise you it won’t be anything nearly as invasive as what that Mira Nova girl did to you. You’ll be fine.” Clara nodded at him.

“But...what does a Tooth Fairy do, I mean, what is a Tooth fairy?”

Sara looked at the Doctor. “Did people believe in the Tooth Fairy in the 1940s?”

He shrugged.

Sara rolled her eyes. “You’ll see when we get there.”

It seemed strange to Sara to be getting back into the clothes she had worn the previous day, but they were all she had, and the Doctor assured her that disguises wouldn’t be  
needed.

“Tooth prefers her visitors to come as they are,” said the Doctor.

The four of them emerged from the T.A.R.D.I.S. to another truly amazing scene. They were in a range of high mountains, each narrow and steep-sided like a pillar. Sara thought maybe they were in China somewhere. The central mountain in front of them had a building carved into it halfway up, all pillars and spires covered with tangled vines. The Doctor wore a light jacket and a scarf and carried a cane, and he led them up the side of the mountain along a steep, winding trail, but before they had gone too far they reached a tunnel entrance. The tunnel twisted and climbed through the heart of the mountain, and they emerged into a splendid chamber that put Sara in mind of a Gothic cathedral. It was all pillars and platforms and spires and spikes, with glittering frames and lattices and cages stretching across it. Hovering around the room on tiny wings were tiny, birdlike creatures with the faces of human infants that squeaked and chirped as they moved too and fro, some of them carrying tiny white objects that Sara guessed were teeth. They climbed an elegant staircase, with no railings, much to Sara’s discomfort, that reached to a platform at the very heart of the room. There stood or rather hovered a lady covered from head to foot in iridescent blue and green feathers with buzzing wings on her back. As she observed her tiny workers, she called out the names of various teeth and inspected the quality of specimens presented to her.

“Hello there, Tooth,” said the Doctor when they had reached the platform.

The Tooth Fairy squealed with delight, as did some of her helpers. “Oh, Doctor! How ever have you been?”

“Quite all right, thank you,” the Doctor nodded. 

“You’ve regenerated since the last time I saw you, haven’t you?” 

“Twice, actually,” he said. “This is my current companion, Clara Oswald.” He gestured for Clara to come forward. 

Clara came forward and curtsied. “How do you do?”

“Clara, my dear!” said Tooth. “I do want to see--” Tooth rushed forward and opened Clara’s mouth. 

Bucky took a step back, but Sara held on to him.

“My, my, your grown-up teeth have come in nicely,” said Tooth. “You could use a little more regular brushing, I think. And who is this?” she exclaimed, looking at Sara and Bucky.

“I’m Sara Martin,” said Sara, curtsying also.

“Of course, from Minnesota! You do have a nice smile! I hope the braces weren’t too terrible?”

“They weren’t, actually,” said Sara. Tooth hovered forward to greet her. Sara opened her mouth wide, feeling a little ridiculous.

“Oh, dear, when was the last time you brushed?”

“I was in a bit of a hurry the last time I left my apartment,” Sara admitted.

“Doctor, you should be sure that your guests have plenty of time and supplies for brushing their teeth,” Tooth rebuked the Doctor.

“Of course I have them,” said the Doctor.

“Oh, where are my manners?” said Tooth, clutching the feathers on her head. “Baby Teeth, bring some chairs for our guests. And some tea. I do think they could use a spot of  
tea.”

A flock of Baby Teeth buzzed around and over their heads, and then dived below the platform and came up with four chairs, a table, and a tray with a tea service.

The Doctor and Clara sat down. Sara sat as well. Tooth, however, had taken notice of Bucky.

She looked at him strangely, as though she had seen him before and was trying to recall his face.

“Who are you?” Tooth asked him.

“That’s precisely what we’ve come to ask you,” said Bucky, looking away from her. “I’m...kind of lost.”

“Well, he doesn’t know who he is,” Sara piped in, “but we do. His name is Bucky Barnes. He was from New York, originally, Brooklyn, wasn’t it?” she asked Clara. Clara nodded. 

The Tooth Fairy studied his face a little harder. “Ah, is it really him?” She looked confused. “That’s strange...I thought you had died. Everyone thought you had died, North,  
Sandy, Bunny, nobody could find you. Do you mind if I?”

“No,” said Bucky.

“I may?”

“I mean, yes, I do mind you looking at my teeth,” he snapped.

“Bucky, chill out,” said Sara, “she’s not going to hurt you. She’s not like a dentist or an oral surgeon that’s actually going to prod your mouth open.”

“Open up,” Tooth encouraged. “Say, ‘aaaaah.’”

Bucky opened his mouth, giving a look at Sara out of the corner of his eye that she had to look away from.

“Hmm, interesting,” said Tooth, peering deep into his mouth. “Looks like he’s been in need of brushing for the past few months, but before them it seems his teeth were in...more  
or less good condition, for someone who died in the mid-1940s. If I was crazy I’d say he hasn’t eaten anything since falling off the face of the earth. It makes me wonder what  
happened. You can close now.”

Bucky closed his mouth, wiping a little spittle off his jaw.

“So what happened to him?”

“It isn’t a happy story,” said the Doctor. “Not one, I think, for the ears of your Baby Teeth. But speaking of which, we have come to ask you if you still have his, by any chance.”

Tooth’s face fell. “Ah.” She looked away, shaking her head. 

“What is it?” asked Clara.

Tooth stammered, searching for a way to say it. “The baby teeth--not long after he died, or disappeared, whatever it was--they were taken.”

“Taken?” the Doctor said. His hand shook so that his tea spilled on his pants.

“Yes, they were taken.” Tooth turned to leave the platform. “You don’t have to follow me. Just finish your tea and I’ll be right back.”

“No, we want to see this,” said Sara. She, Bucky, the Doctor, and Clara stood up and followed Tooth down the steps to a bridge and along a walkway that wound itself around the  
pillars of the Tooth Palace. 

Tooth told them as they walked, “Not long after the second world war had ended, my tooth palace was raided, not as badly as Pitch Black had it raided not long ago, but after the  
attack my baby teeth and I did an inventory and we found that the teeth of several persons were missing, among them the ones of Bucky Barnes.”

“Indeed,” said the Doctor.

“Do you have any idea who did it?” asked Clara.

“We don’t know,” said Tooth. “It happened in the dead of night in the dead of winter. We know it wasn’t Pitch, that’s for sure.”

“I beg your pardon, but who is Pitch?” asked Clara asked.

“Pitch Black, the bogeyman,” Tooth explained. Some of the Baby Teeth shuddered and squealed out of the way. “He is a source of darkness and evil in this world, and in many. We think he may have had some accomplices,” Tooth continued, “that he would have allowed to come here. He has been here in the past, make no mistake, so it wouldn’t have been hard for him to have shown them the way in.” Tooth led them up to a latticed gate and unlocked it. “I asked my Baby Teeth about who they saw come in, because I never got a good look. But I can’t get a straight answer from them. They say it was either a man in dark clothing or a monster with many heads, there’s a word for that, how do you say it?”

“A hydra?” said Sara. The Baby Teeth fluttering nearby screamed at an ear-splitting pitch and darted away. She and Bucky exchanged glances.

“A hydra, yes, that was it,” said Tooth. They entered the gated area.

“This is where I kept Bucky’s baby teeth,” she said, gesturing at a stack of shelves along the wall. “Where I kept the baby teeth of many children from that era. His friend Steve’s  
might be in here, still, if that would help?”

“I would get those moved to a secure location, if I were you,” said the Doctor.

“Right.” Tooth nodded at some of the Baby Teeth that had followed them. The Baby Teeth dug among the items on the shelves and retrieved one of them, flying it out between  
them. 

“Do you keep this room locked?”

“Of course. I keep all my collections locked when not in use!” 

“And the break-in?” asked Clara.

“They must have picked it,” said Tooth. “There wasn’t any damage to the lock, or any of the other locks. They just shuffled everything around and made a huge mess. It took us  
months to clean up and months longer to realize who was missing.” She looked at Bucky. “The other people whose teeth were taken, they had met with accidents of some sort, but Bucky...it just seemed so senseless at the time. Aside from his friendship with Captain America he didn’t seem to have that much importance to anyone. It still seems senseless.”

He wanted to sink right through the floor. 

“But how could someone have just...broken in?” said Clara. “You, with your magic, this place must be nearly impenetrable, apart from Pitch, of course.”

“That’s what I kept telling myself,” said Tooth, digging through some of the shelves. “It wasn’t him, or his Night-Mares, but it may have been someone who knew him, someone  
evil enough to go to him for help.”

“Doctor, might it have been another time traveler?” Clara asked.

“It very well could have been,” the Doctor said, pacing. “Someone willing to collect the teeth and to sell them for a price...or someone hired as a go-between. The implications of  
this...terrible.” He thumped his cane on the ground. Sara thought he looked very tired and careworn. She caught Bucky glancing up at her, but he looked away as soon as she looked back.

“But I don’t get it,” Bucky spoke up, walking up to the Tooth Fairy as she sorted through the tooth boxes. “Why are my baby teeth such a big deal?”

“Bucky, sweetie,” said Tooth, smiling at him sadly, “baby teeth are your memories.”

She returned to sorting through the shelves. Sara heard something click as it landed on the floor, but if it was a stray tooth the fairy didn’t bother herself with it, at least for the  
moment.

The Doctor continued to pace. Clara leaned against the door of the cage, looking forlorn.

“Is there any chance Hydra would have kept his baby teeth?” Sara asked. She heard the baby fairies squealing a second later. 

“No,” the Doctor said. “They would have destroyed them. Bucky’s childhood memories would have been of no use to them. The only reason they came for the baby teeth in the  
first place, in fact, may have been just to find them and destroy them.”

Bucky took a step backward. Through the soles of his worn shoes he felt something.

“I am sorry we weren’t able to find them,” said Tooth, sounding devastated.

“It is all right,” said the Doctor, “I would have been surprised if the teeth were still here at all. Hydra represses the humanity of its followers, and even its victims are consumed by  
it. I knew some Time Lords who had connections to Hydra all the way back to the Red Skull himself. They were--” 

“Doctor, please, not here,” said Clara, glancing at the quivering fairies behind the doors.

“Sorry, Clara, but, Tooth, have you had any other issues with security of late? I heard about the whole fiasco with Jack Frost.”

“It wasn’t a fiasco,” Tooth lagued. She began talking about her recent experience to them. The Doctor and Clara were attentive, of course, and though Sara knew the story already  
she was interested to hear it from Tooth’s perspective.

But Bucky was examining the small, white object he had found on the floor. As he felt it, his mind began to drift elsewhere, images clearer than any before came before him...

 

A gang of street urchins wandered a dirty street lined with apartment buildings. They kicked a rusty can between them, each hollering to say they could kick it farther than his fellows. 

A boy in overalls and a cabby hat glanced over his shoulder. There was a boy sitting on the steps of a building leading into an alley. He was smaller than his other companions,  
with blond bangs that all but hid his eyes and ears nearly too big for his head.

“You wanna play with us, Rogers?” asked the boy in overalls.

The Rogers kid shrugged. “I couldn’t keep up with you guys.”

“You’re not a chicken, Steve, am I right?” The boy gave him a teasing smile.

“Am not!”

“Then prove it!” 

Steve pushed himself up from the steps. He half-ran, half-shuffled to his friend’s side. 

The boy in overalls jumped to intercept the can and kicked it to Steve. Steve gave a couple of false starts and finally shoved the can sideways a few inches.

“Not bad,” his friend remarked. He pushed the can towards the boys on the edge of the group. One of the bigger boys kicked it back to Steve. Steve swung his leg but fell over.  
The other boys laughed. One burly boy standing behind him pushed him forwards. Rogers fell and hit his jaw. The other boys laughed loudly--except for the boy in overalls.

Steve pushed himself up off the ground. “You wanna try that again, Carl?”

“Are you threatening me, Rogers?”

“No, cus I’m actually gonna punch you.” Steve threw his fist into Carl’s face. Carl stumbled backward, then lunched forward and pushed Rogers backwards. 

“Hey!” shouted the boy in overalls. “Pick on somebody your own size!” It wasn’t the first time he had said that, and it wouldn’t be the last.

He tried shoving back at Carl Carl feinted backwards and then swang a punch at his opponent’s jaw. He yelled and clutched his face, seeing stars. He distinctly felt something  
dislodge from his mouth.

The other boys laughed as a small, white tooth landed on the dirty street. 

“You guys think it’s funny, knocking out a few of my loose teeth,” the boy proclaimed. “I’ll bet some of you babies could use it, too! Anyone who wants to pick on Rogers goes  
through me.” His comrades jeered.

“Reach for the sky, Bucky!” shouted a boy off to one side. Steve crawled off to one side as the boys attacked his protector, but then tried lunging in by grabbing the leg of the big  
kid. A terrific scrap ensued. Bucky managed to pocket the fallen tooth before distributing punches for his fair-weather friends. 

Bucky saw Steve taking a pounding and shoved aside his opponents to drag him out. Bucky half-carried, half-ran with Rogers on his side until they were in an alley a short  
distance away. They both had terrible bruises and cuts, and Bucky’s left eye was so swollen he could hardly see out of it. 

“Did you save your tooth?” asked Steve. 

“Uh-huh,” said Bucky, retrieving it to show briefly to Steve, then returning it to his pocket. “I lost my hat though, I think.”

“Well, shouldn’t you go back for it?”

“No, I’ll get it later. It’s always the Gelvin kid who takes it. He doesn’t need much persuasion to return things. You know, I didn’t mean for you to get beat up like that.”

“Naw, it’s okay,” said Steve. “My mother wonders if I couldn’t step outdoors without getting beat up every time.”

“She worries too much.”

Steve smiled and hugged Bucky over the shoulder. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

“Bucky! Bucky!” Sara’s voice cut into his thoughts. 

He looked up at her as though he had forgotten where he was, in fact he almost had.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Bucky, putting his hands in his pockets. “It was just...somebody’s tooth.”

“Well, it’s time to go,” said the Doctor. “Thank you for your time,” he said to Tooth.

“No problem,” said Tooth. “I always enjoy your visits. I do wish you’d come more often.”

“I wish I could too.” 

“Clara, it was nice to see you.”

“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” said Clara, clasping hands with the Tooth Fairy.

“And you too, Sara.”

“Of course,” Sara nodded.

Tooth smiled at Bucky. “And I hope you find your memories, Bucky. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to keep them here.”

Bucky just nodded. 

“It wasn’t your fault,” the Doctor said, patting Tooth on the back as they exited the gate.

Bucky was the last to leave the room. In his good hand he examined the tooth he had found. Could it really be his?

He didn’t have long to ponder on that question, however, when a Baby Tooth swooped down to take the tooth from him. He tried to swipe it away, but the creature jabbed at him  
with it sharp beak, and he dropped the tooth into its waiting hands. The Baby Tooth stuck out its tongue at him.

“Bucky, come on!” said Sara. He was lagging behind.

They reached the tunnel exit to Tooth’s palace. As they repeated their farewells, the Baby Tooth delivered the stolen relic to its mistress, and Bucky’s last sight of the Tooth Fairy  
was her looking after him with astonishment.

 

The T.A.R.D.I.S. Again

When they re-entered the T.A.R.D.I.S., Bucky said he was tired and went to the lounge. Sara was content to hang out in the control room with the Doctor. She read him the third rhyme on the Loremaster’s napkin. After this, the Doctor produced a bottle and some glasses from a cupboard.

“You want some sherry?” he asked.

“No thanks, I don’t drink.”

“Fine,” said the Doctor, popping the cork. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Sara said to the Doctor as he poured himself a drink.

“You just did,” the Doctor smiled.

“No, I meant I was wondering if I could run something by you.”

“Tell me.”

“Could we go to Hogwarts and see if Professor Dumbledore could help him? We could look at his memories in the pensieve. So he could see them for himself.”

The doctor had a sip of his liquor. “I can see why you’d suggest that, but I’m afraid it won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“You’re forgetting something. He’s a muggle.”

“Well, of course he is!” 

“That’s not the point. Dumbledore’s potions and spells could only effectively heal him if he was the same kind of wizard. Those wizards can sometimes curse and kill muggles,  
but their magic cannot cure their most difficult problems.” 

“Well...that’s lame!” exclaimed Sara.

“I know you must be disappointed.” He poured a glass for Clara.

“I grew up reading the Harry Potter books! Do you think I haven’t figured out what we’re doing here!” 

“Yes, the possibilities of traveling through space and time are limitless,” he put down his glass, “but as far as your friend is concerned, I am afraid there are limits for the help we can give him.” He spoke very slowly, “I know J.K. Rowling made it sound like Dumbledore has all the answers, but surely if you had read the seventh book closely enough you would have realized he didn’t.”

“I know,” said Sara, “but he had most of them, right?”

The Doctor shrugged. 

Clara approached Sara carefully, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I know you were thinking that there was a guaranteed solution for Bucky. But even when there are answers,  
they’re never easy. Trust me, I learned from the best.”

Sara went back to the lounge. Bucky was sitting on an armchair, twiddling his fingers. She wasn’t sure she could tell how he felt about the fact that one of those hands was metal.

“What are you up to?” asked Sara.

“Oh, nothing,” said Bucky, not looking at her.

“Thinking about anything?”

“No. I don’t have anything to think about.”

“Oh.” She nodded. She had something she wanted to ask him, but it took a little more courage than she thought it would to broach the subject. 

“Tell me, though, is there any reason you don’t want to be Bucky Barnes?” Sara folded her arms and looked at him.

“Well, I just don’t think I’m him,” he said, looking at the floor. “If all the evidence points that way, then shouldn’t I have the memories to match? They took away my mind. I was  
nobody to them. I’m nobody now. That’s probably who I should be.”

He crossed his arms and legs and looked at her, daring her to cross him.

“But, I don’t see why not,” Sara said, pacing a little to lean against another part of the wall. “I mean, I’ve heard lots of good things about this Bucky guy: best friends with Captain  
America, now who wouldn’t want that? Strong, handsome, tall, brave, smart, not bad with the ladies, a good dancer, if Clara remembers correctly. Who wouldn’t want to be all  
that?”

He said nothing.

“Are you afraid?” she asked him.

“Of what?”

“Being yourself again? Or being a self that isn’t what you thought you were?”

He pondered his answer carefully. “The truth is, I don’t want to be anything if I don’t have to be. Not anyone. My life was simpler when I worked for Hydra. They gave me orders,  
I followed them. May not have done the best things on that job, but at least I wasn’t like this. At least I wasn’t confused. At least I knew what I was doing. I didn’t have to think. I didn’t have to feel. Being like this...Captain America messed up everything for me. He made me question what I was, who I was. I couldn’t do my job as an assassin if I had to be someone. If you’re someone, you have to take responsibility. Not just for what you do. But for being yourself. For having...a reason...to not carry out orders for someone else. For caring about something. For the first time in what feels like my existence, I care about who I am and what I am. All of a sudden that means something to me. Because someone said I meant something to them. But that same someone was a person who was supposed to kill me. And I was supposed to kill him, and I nearly killed him. But he wouldn’t let me finish him. He told me...I had to be something. 

“But what do I do, if I am something? If I can’t go around killing people, what?” He got up and paced, gesturing dramatically at the thin air. “What are you supposed to do, when someone cares about you? When someone else means something to you? When you’re allowed to do something for yourself? Who takes care of you? Who tells you what to do? I can either accept that I am what other people tell me to be, or I can leave and pretend I don’t exist. If I am what people say I am, then I owe something to them. I have to...let them take care of me. I have to do what they say. And if I am this Bucky guy, well, what does that mean for me? I want to have a name, a place to go home to, a job maybe. But look at this metal arm they gave me. Even if Hydra doesn’t want me anymore, other people will still have tabs on me. They won’t accept me. Even when I’m not flashing it around, they still look at me like I’m dirty, like I don’t belong. They are right. I don’t belong. But somehow it still...I don’t like the way they look. If one or two people are all right with me, what does that mean about the fifty million other people in this world who don’t want me? They treat me like garbage. I don’t need to be in a place where I’m treated like garbage. But if that’s going to happen wherever I go, then maybe I don’t want to exist. I just...it’s too much. I can’t explain all the way what’s bothering me.”

“So...you are scared?” Sara ventured.

“I don’t know!” said Bucky, throwing up his arms. “What does that mean, anyway, that I’m scared?”

“It means that you’re unwilling to face the consequences of the choices you have to make,” said Sara. “Being able to choose...that’s called agency. Hydra took yours away. Now you have it back. You don’t have to follow orders anymore and be compelled to obey. You can go anywhere and do anything you want.”

“I do what I have to to survive,” said Bucky. “I didn’t choose this life.”

“You did choose it,” said Sara. “You may not have been able to control the outcome, but you did choose to leave Hydra.”

“But I don’t know entirely why I did it. Someone told me to.”

“And you chose to listen.” Sara stood closer to him and knelt on the floor beside his chair. “You knew, even at your worst moments, that Hydra never treated you right. And  
Captain Rogers gave you a reason to leave.”

He looked like he was trying to keep himself from saying something. Sara guessed that she had the right answer. 

“You’re afraid to feel,” she realized, thinking out loud.

“To what?”

“To feel,” said Sara. “To experience emotions. You haven’t had the chance to be on your own in who knows how long. Now you’re finding out that...you don’t have all the  
answers. You can’t control everything. It’s a scary feeling, I went through that, when I moved away from home to go to college. And you realize you can’t keep the bad things that are out there from hurting you. That’s why you’re scared, but Hydra...they never let you be scared.”

“How come?”

“Because if you couldn’t be scared...you could never be comforted by anything either.” Sara now realized the extent of Hydra’s crimes against him. “If you were kept away from  
everything you’d known, everything you’d ever cared about, they could control you. Hydra believes that because people aren’t perfect that people can’t be trusted with anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that if humanity is capable of bad things, then people shouldn’t be free to choose. But they’re forgetting, they’re so focused on the overwhelmingly bad things in this world that they’re forgetting the good. And they’re forgetting that human society exists because people are willing to accept each other’s imperfections and differences.  
Otherwise we’d be so busy quarrelling with each other that sooner or later we would destroy ourselves. That’s all they’ve been trying to get people to do from the beginning. But that’s life: you have to take the bad with the good. You have to accept the consequences of your actions, and you have to accept that every now and then things aren’t going to go your way and people will disappoint you. People get too focused on succeeding all the time and they forget that. You following me?”

“I guess,” said Bucky. “Continue.”

“The point I’m trying to make is, if you want to get back into the world, you’re going to have to accept that there will be some pain to face, that you’ll have to endure a little  
hardship, but in the end it’s okay because that’s not why you joined the rat race. You’re in it to put good in and get good out. The joys you find are worth the hardships. 

He looked up at her blankly.

“All of that is just a roundabout way of saying that you’ve been hurt, and you don’t want to get hurt anymore, and that’s why you’re afraid to contact the people who love you,  
because you know being with them won’t solve everything.”

“It won’t, exactly,” said Bucky firmly. He returned his arms to his jacket pockets and sat down. “In fact, it’ll cause more problems than it would solve. Being enemies with Captain America is one thing, but being friends...I could never do that. Not after what I did to him.” He stood up again.

“He forgives you.”

“But I could never forgive myself,” he said. 

“Stop telling yourself that,” said Sara. “You’ll have to, if you want to get anywhere with yourself. Isn’t that what I’ve been saying to you?”

“But why does there have to be pain?” he asked. “Why must there be sorrow?” He looked at her, sure that he had given her an impossible question.

“Because pain and sorrow teach us to be human,” said Sara. “And they teach us to appreciate the happiness that comes afterward. Without the bitter, we could never understand  
the sweet.”

She touched his elbow gently, wanting to reassure him, begging him silently to understand.

He stepped away from her. He looked away. “That makes no sense,” he said finally. “None of it does.”

“None of it?”

“None of it. My life doesn’t make any sense. I can’t go anywhere if I don’t understand it.”

“You’ve got to at least try!” she pleaded.

“I’ll stick this out and see if it gets me anywhere closer to remembering who I was,” said Bucky. “But I get the feeling it’s not going to.”

“And if it doesn’t work out, what then?”

“I’ll crawl into a hole and die. The world has no place for me.”

She couldn’t stand to hear any more of his pessimism. She left the room and shut the door behind her. 

Hydra ruined him, she thought to herself as she wiped her eyes. And to think they were going to do the same for the rest of the world. 

She could only pray that he would understand. 

But on the other side of the door, Bucky wondered if maybe Sara was right. Maybe going out into the world and getting a life would be worth the risks, even if in his case they  
were extremely high. He was strong, he reasoned with himself. He could fight anything that stood in his way. He was good at that, right?

But what’s the use? he asked himself. He didn’t know who he was. He didn’t have a reason for being. He couldn’t go on, not without anywhere to go.

He sat alone in the silent room, moving in his chair a little but otherwise not making any noise. He liked being alone, he admitted, he was used to it by now. But something  
about being alone just felt...empty. All of a sudden he realized how devoid of human company his life had been since his literal falling out with Hydra. And most of it had been of  
his own doing. 

Did he really want to be alone?

He left the side chamber to rejoin the Doctor, Clara, and Sara in the control room. He avoided eye contact with the two women and instead addressed the Doctor.

“Where to next?” he asked. 

“Gongmen City,” the Doctor announced. “It’s in an alternate dimension of ancient China.”

“So what are we doing there?”

“See for yourself,” said the Doctor. He took the napkin out of Sara’s hand and gave it to him. He read: 

If from your darkest pain you seek release,  
Seek a soothsayer who will show you inner peace.

Bucky wasn’t sure what to make of that statement.

“We’re not seeing the soothsayer from Kung-fu Panda 2, are we?” Sara asked the Doctor.

“If that is how you know of her, yes, you are,” said the Doctor.

“What was her name again?”

“I don’t believe she has one that is known to anyone but herself,” the Doctor said as he checked some of his instruments. “She has a private chamber in the outer court of the  
palace. Just ask for the Soothsayer, and you’ll find her.”

“So what’s become of Gongmen City since Lord Sheng was destroyed?”

“Another kinsmen of the peacocks stepped forward to take the throne,” said the Doctor, walking around the control panel. “He was much more likeable by his subjects, so since  
the downfall of Lord Sheng the city has enjoyed relative peace.” 

Sara folded her arms. “Are you turning us into animals?”

“No, that won’t be necessary here, I think,” said the Doctor. “But I have some Chinese clothing for you two that should draw away any serious suspicion. You’re not the first  
visitors from another world to visit, not the least in your shapes.”

Clara checked one of the instruments. “Sir, we’re nearly there.”

“All right,” said the Doctor, “if you two will follow me.”

Sara and Bucky followed the Doctor into one of the rooms of the T.A.R.D.I.S. Sara looked at Bucky to see if he was still mad at her from earlier, but he gave her a nod and she  
guessed he had mellowed out.

The room was lined with closets stuffed with clothes from every era. Near the back of one, the Doctor pulled out two red robes in the oriental fashion. He draped one over Sara.  
“Just tuck the belt under you like this, and you’re good.” He handed the second robe to Bucky and returned to the closet. He pulled out two conical hats. “Keep these low over  
your faces when you’re in public. You two should be all right. Now follow me.”

Sara and Bucky looked at each other. The robes billowed loose around them like sacks and were uncomfortable at best to walk around in, and the hats made them even more  
ridiculous.

The Doctor led them to the front door of the T.A.R.D.I.S., Clara calling out “See you later” behind them. 

“I will be leaving you two in a back alley,” said the Doctor. “Head for a main street. If you see the palace tower, you should find your way there all right. You know who to ask for  
when you get to the gate. Also, here’s some change for food.” He gave them a bag of clinking metal. “We will wait for you at the Inn of the White Monkey, it’s off one of the main streets leading away from the palace. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” said Sara.

“Off you go, then.” 

 

Gongmen City

Out the main door of the T.A.R.D.I.S. was a dirty alleyway strewn with rubbish. They walked forward, Sara folded her arms in front of her to look more authentic. Bucky swayed his arms by his side but then imitated Sara as they entered the street.

The people of the city were not humans but animals, mainly ducks and geese, rabbits, pigs, a few boars and cattle, a sheep here and there. They walked like humans, though, and  
wore Chinese clothing. The architecture was also very Oriental in taste. Sara and Bucky stayed on the side of the street to avoid the carts and wheelbarrows that passed through the center. They managed not to draw any untoward attention. Some street vendors called out to them from time to time, but the people they passed nodded or said hello. 

“Doesn’t this seem kind of weird to you?” Sara asked her companion.

“I...don’t know,” said Bucky. “I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff lately.”

Peering over the rooftops, Sara glimpsed the very top of a tall pagoda. She directed their course down the street towards it, taking a right towards one of the central roads and  
then moving forward. Little pig and rabbit children played around them with tiny kites and little figures on wheels, some even had little firecrackers. One of them went off with a loud shriek behind them and Bucky screamed and it was all Sara could do to grab him and keep him from bolting. A pair of old pigs played a board game underneath an awning in front of a shop.

Sara wondered if she should make conversation with Bucky, but she could not decide what to say to him or how to say it. 

They reached what appeared to be the main gate of the palace, the pagoda looming above them from behind a wall. Entering the outer court, Sara went and found a guard, a  
barrel-chested rhinoceros. She told him they had come to speak with the soothsayer, and he told her to wait. After a few minutes of watching the crowds pass in and out and around the inner and outer courts, the guard returned with a crocodile wearing pants and armed with a spear.

“You wish to speak with the soothsayer?” asked the Crocodile.

“We do,” Sara nodded.

“Come with me.”

Master Croc turned and led them along the walls of the outer court, which were lined with doors and open fronts like the shops in the city streets. On the quieter end of this hubub, towards the corner, Croc knocked on a door.

An eye slot opened halfway up the door. Croc bent over to speak into it.

“Two strangers here, from far beyond China, have come seeking your wisdom.”

Whoever was on the other side must have said to let them in, because Croc opened the door. “Right this way,” he said, bowing as they entered.

The space within was a single-room dwelling, about ten by ten feet. The walls were wood and covered with bamboo mats. There was a tiny bed and a tiny stove in one corner. A  
tiny altar stood against one wall, with an idol and several sticks of incense upon it. The walls were covered with red banners marked with Chinese calligraphy. In one corner there was a small fountain carved from gray stone, a dragon with droplets of water coming from its open mouth.

“Come in, my children,” came the voice of the soothsayer from where she sat on the wall opposite the door. She was a sheep, a very old ewe with a wrinkled face. She sat cross-  
legged on a tasseled pillow, with incense trays smoking on either side of her. In front of her was a golden dish filled partway with liquid. “Sit,” she said, gesturing to two bamboo mats on the floor in front of her.

“Do you wish for me to leave, ma’am?” asked Croc.

“No, Master Crocodile, stay here,” said the Soothsayer. “I saw your coming,” she addressed Sara and Bucky, “but I do not know your names.”

“My name is Sara,” Sara began. “This man doesn’t remember his name. But for now we’re calling him Bucky.”

The Soothsayer looked at Bucky very carefully. “Give me your good hand.”

Reluctant, Bucky presented his right hand to her. She studied it.

“No doubt you were sent by the Loremaster,” said the Soothsayer.

“Do you know him?” asked Bucky.

“Many of my trade know of him, as they do of the Doctor who brought you here. The supplicants who come the farthest for our aid are brought by them.” She let go of his hand. 

“You have come here for the inner peace training.”

“Yes,” said Bucky.

“It will not come easily, to one who has not studied the ancient art of kung-fu.” 

“But I was a warrior once, of sorts,” said Bucky. “Maybe not martial arts like the kind you’re wanting to show me, but it has to be good for something.”

“I have never shown this to anyone who has not studied some of the art of kung-fu. The discipline and the state of mind required for it are a very necessary preparation. But I see  
what is in your mind, my friend. There is much darkness there. If you will do as I tell you, perhaps some of that burden can be alleviated. And you can learn to feel again.”

“Yes, that is what I want,” said Bucky, although Sara caught his sideways glance at her. 

“Remove your outer robes. You do not need them here.”

Sara and Bucky removed their hats and robes, putting them off to the side.

“Master Crocodile.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Croc bowed.

“Clear the floor.” 

He rolled up the two larger mats on the center of the floor. Sara and Bucky rolled up their place mats. Croc stacked their things neatly against a wall.

“You will want to remove your shoes,” the Soothsayer nodded. 

“Can I try it, too?” Sara asked the Soothsayer and Croc.

“Go ahead,” said the Soothsayer, smiling at her.

“It won’t hurt you,” said Master Croc, giving her a toothy grin. “To start with, both of you stand at attention. Take a few deep breaths like so. The Soothsayer will start the  
training now. You need to listen carefully while she speaks, and continue breathing.”

They breathed in unision as the Soothsayer began.

“Allow your bodies to relax, your minds to relax. Relax just enough that your frame and muscles are loose but you are still able to stay standing. Imagine a pole wrapped in cloth.  
Your center is the pole; your muscles, your arms and legs, your extremities are the cloth, loose and bendable. Your spine is the center pole, a source of stability and balance.” 

Bucky thought this was about the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard, but he hadn’t come all this way to be stopped by hokey superstitions. 

“Now, clear your mind. I do not mean by this to stop thinking, but to stop trying to control your thoughts. If a thought comes into your mind from somewhere unpleasant, do not  
engage it, but let it pass. Continue to focus on your breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Focus on your surroundings, the floor, the ceiling, the walls, the painting, do not set your mind on anything that is not here, that is not concrete.”

Bucky paid close attention. He thought very hard about where he was. He let go of trying to worry about who he was, where he was going and what he was doing with his  
meaningless existence. He did not engage with the notions that he felt sad or angry or stupid, he removed his attention from his emotions. He paid attention to the sheen of the  
floor, to the sharp-polished ebony of the altar; the curious patterns of smoke that rose from the incense tray and the scent entering his nostrils. 

“Now, continuing your breathing, begin to move. Your spine is your support, but it is not rigid, it moves with you, keeps you in the air. Watch Master Crocodile carefully.” 

Croc said, “You two, pay close attention to the steps I am showing you. At attention, now, then, left foot first, now right, move slowly, take your arms out with your legs.” He  
called out steps for them to follow. In spite of his girth and awkward shape, his demonstration had a rough, steady grace to it. The routine was not a fight, it was an exercise.  
Sara thought it was kind of like a slow dance you did by yourself, like moving underwater. She was pretty clumsy at it, though, getting the arms and legs mixed up and  
occasionally wobbling.

Master Crocodile came to her side to correct her. “Don’t let the fear of making a mistake keep you from moving forward. If you mess up, don’t repeat it right away, just go on to  
the next step.”

The exercise took ten minutes to learn all the steps to. Then they took a short break. Master Croc stuck his snout under the drips of the fountain and drank. Sara and Bucky drank by cupping their arms under the drips. Hardly satisfying, but better than nothing. Then they returned to attention and repeated the exercise. That took seven minutes. The next time around took five. But in between practices, the Soothsayer would have them sit down, and she would speak to them about clearing the mind, about focus and calm, and most importantly about letting go of control.

“In order for this to work,” said the Soothsayer after they had practiced the exercise a third time, “the steps must come naturally. You must be able to do them without thinking. Then, when your mind is clear, you will see what it is you are seeking.”

Sara wasn’t sure what to make of that statement. She wasn’t seeking anything in particular. Maybe a solution to Bucky’s problem would come to her mind? But then, she remembered, as if her real life was a dream, that back in Minnesota she needed a good job and a plan for her future. Well, there wasn’t any harm in seeking answers here. If she had learned one thing in college, it was that many kinds of truths and Truths come from many kinds of sources. 

The Soothsayer instructed them to resume their practice. After they had completed the routine a fourth time, she said, “I think you are now ready.”

“As ready as they will be,” Master Croc commented.

“Let the girl go first. Young man, stand aside and watch. Learn from her going before you.”

Bucky stood against the wall by the soothsayer. Croc went to the water fountain in the corner and stood by it.

“You will each be given a droplet of water,” said the Soothsayer. “From the moment it touches your right hand, let it move with you. Use the exercise we have shown you to make  
a pathway around your body for the water to go. As the water moves, focus on what is happening in your mind. The wisdom you are seeking will appear there. It will come to  
you as a series of images. Do not block the images. Let them flood your inner vision so you can see them clearly. When the water droplet has gone from your left hand, the  
vision will end.”

Sara stood in the middle of the floor. Master Croc placed a small pot on the ground below her left hand. Then he returned to the fountain. Solemnly, he took a droplet of water  
from the dragon’s mouth into his scaly right hand and began the exercise. The water droplet rolled around his arm, over his chest, and then up his tail and jumped off to Sara’s  
waiting right hand. Sara, of course, saw none of it. She panicked a little from thinking she only had one chance to do it right, but she repressed the panic. She paid careful  
attention as the water droplet rolled off the creature’s tail and stretched to catch it. The water droplet rolled right off her palm, down her arm towards her center. The droplet rolled over and around her clothes like an animal, without a bump, over and around her chest several times. And as the droplet moved, her mind opened. She saw her past, her recent adventures, her mistakes, her embarrassing moments, her triumphs, her sadness--she let them all into her mind. She was not ashamed anymore, to feel those feelings. 

She was at peace with herself. 

“Well done,” said the Soothsayer.

Sara stopped abruptly. She saw the droplet of water had reached the safety of the pot. She hadn’t even noticed it roll of her hand. She looked up at the Soothsayer and at Bucky.  
She looked at the Crocodile. Both of the instructors were pleased.

“Good job,” said Master Croc. He walked up to her to give her some advice, but was cut short when the Soothsayer said, “Next, please.”

As Bucky walked across the floor to the center, Sara took him by the shoulder.

“It’s...not as hard as it looks,” she whispered to him. “You just...let go.”

She left to stand by the soothsayer. Bucky was unsure if he still wanted to go through with it. Observing Sara, he had seen her face cringe with pain and insecurity, and a misstep had almost sent her to the floor. It had looked hard enough.

But he looked down at his hands, the metal one included. Whatever it took to get back what Hydra had taken from him, he would do.

He stood up straight to face Master Croc. “I am ready.”

Crocodile retrieved a second drop from the fountain. Bucky was already waiting with his right arm extended. When the droplet reached his left arm, it rolled over the metal joints  
like they weren’t there. For the first few seconds he focused on keeping the drop moving over his body and concentrating on the exercise, but then he remembered what he was doing this for and returned his attention to the drop. He moved like a tree in a strong wind. And in his mind, something connected.

 

The bodies of fallen soldiers were all around him. His heart pounded with a fear he had never known before. He tripped over the dead and dying, knowing only he had to escape. Bolts of blue fire zipped around him, hissing angrily. He had never seen weaponry like this before. This Nazi science division, Hydra, it was a force to be reckoned with. His commanders had underestimated their enemy’s weapons and numbers. 

Men in the black Hydra uniforms and masks came swarming over the battlefield, dropping their weapons to take the fallen soldiers who were still breathing. Then the men who were walking and had lagged behind. They were either vaporized by the ray guns or seized roughly and carried away.

He dove into a trench, flipping as he fell over. He hadn’t broken anything. He wondered perhaps if he could hide out while the enemy stormed forward. But some of the Hydra soldiers jumped in after them. He punched one and threw him by the collar into the trench. Another one came to his front, a third from behind. He was pulled forcibly out of the trench by the arms, but he kicked and screamed the entire way. He began crying and begging for mercy. He would not die here, not at the hands of these men.

A gunshot rang out. A tall man was looking at him, wearing a black officer’s uniform and a trenchcoat with the Hydra insignia.

“Quiet,” he said. “There is no need to panic. You are no coward. So don’t act like one.”

He was surprised at the man’s accented English, but stopped screaming and crying. He only breathed deeply and watched, waited for an opportunity to strike.

He was carried over to where the other captured soldiers were waiting, quiet, confused, seated on the ground with guards menacing over them.

A short man came to inspect the captured troops. He wore round glasses, a fedora, a bowtie, and a brown trench coat. He walked slowly through the ranks, and he called for two  
Hydra soldiers standing behind him to take away certain individuals. One screamed helplessly as he was taken away.

He found himself under the gaze of the spectacled man and looked away, but it was too late.

The man gave a command in German for him to be taken. He was taken by the arms before he could use them to punch, so instead he kicked and dragged his feet on the ground.  
Two more guards came and took his feet.

The taken men were in a line, being inspected by the Hydra officer. Johann Schmidt, he’d heard of him in a briefing two days before the engagement. He talked down to the  
soldiers in his accented English while inspecting them, checking their pulses, the insides of their mouths, their faces. He sent away one that was bleeding to death from a wound  
in his chest. He demanded their names. 

He was placed at the end of the line. Schmidt finished looking over the others quickly.

“Oh, you again?” said Schmidt. “This one has spirit, doesn’t he, Doctor Zola?” he addressed the man in glasses, who was hovering at his elbow. Doctor Zola made no reply. “Ah, but it doesn’t matter what is inside anymore, not with our formula.” He peered inside the prisoner’s mouth. “No one’s narrow-minded definition of good and bad will mess up  
the experiment this time, now will it?” He inspected the prisoner’s body. “No wounds, this one looks clean. What is your name, soldier?” He stared directly into the prisoner’s eyes. “What is your name?” He smacked the captive across the jaw. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his head.

“You will tell me your name this instant!”

“Barnes!” he gasped. “My name is Sergeant James Barnes, the 107th. Please, stop!” He fell onto his hands and knees, bracing himself for another blow.

“Get up,” Schmidt snarled at him, giving him a kick to the shoulder. “He will do.”

 

He gave a yell and tripped over. The pot where the water droplet should have landed connected with his foot instead and it shattered.

He rolled over and sat up, panting. His clothes were drenched with sweat. 

Sara rushed to his side. “Are you all right?” she asked him.

He couldn’t say. He was too out of breath, even if he wanted to speak.

“What did you see?” she asked him. “What did you see?” She looked at him pleadingly. 

He only leaned over and rested his forehead on his metal hand. With his good one he waved her away.

“It will do you no good to press him,” said the Soothsayer. “For now, let him rest. You may remove your mind from your thoughts, young man. You have done well.”

“I want...I never want to…” He stammered. Sara stood up and offered him a hand. He took it and got to his feet.

“That is probably as far as we are going to get for today. I made better progress with you two than I would have thought. Master Crocodile, prepare some tea for us.”

“That won’t be necessary for me, ma’am,” said Sara. “Just some water.”

“Drink some water, then,” said the Soothsayer.

Master Croc put a kettle on to boil over the stove while Sara collected water from the fountain. She wetted her face as well as her mouth to refresh herself. Bucky and Croc  
unrolled the mats. Then Croc took two cups and a kettle and set them before the Soothsayer. Sara and Bucky returned to their places, exhausted.

“How long are you in Gongmen City for?” asked the Soothsayer.

“Just for today,” said Sara. “We only came here to see you.”

Bucky sipped his tea.

“You would do well to remember the things you have learned today,” said the Soothsayer. Looking at Bucky, she added, “As long as you shelter yourself from the pain, you cannot bring yourself to remember your happiness. Hurt is as much a part of our souls as health.”

“I’ll try to remember that, ma’am,” he said to the Soothsayer. 

She looked at him very hard for a few seconds. “You have come a long way since you first came into this room. I wish you both luck.” She then looked into her bowl. Something  
was troubling the waters there. Sara leaned over to see if she could make out what the Soothsayer was observing. “You will yet find what you are seeking. The way will be long  
and perilous.”

Then she looked at Sara. “Do you see your own path more clearly now?”

“I guess,” she said. The euphoria of her experience had worn off. “All I saw were--”

“Your memories, yes, but you saw them with new eyes, is the important thing. It is when we understand our past that we can better chart our future.”

Bucky finished his tea and stood up. “It is time we were going. Thank you very much for your help.” He bowed to her in the Chinese fashion.

Sara rose and did the same. “Thanks again, ma’am.”

“It was my pleasure,” said the Soothsayer. “Go in peace.”

Croc handed them their robes and hats. “Are you sure you couldn’t stay longer? With the progress you’ve made today, you’ll be better in no time,” he said to Bucky.

“I’d like to stay,” said Bucky, “but I don’t think I’d fit in very well in your world.”

“Well, come back and visit,” he said, patting Bucky on the back. Sara expected Bucky to flinch, and he didn’t. “Nice meeting you too, kid,” Croc told Sara.

“See ya,” said Sara.

Night had fallen on the city. The once-busy square of the outer palace was empty. They passed a lone goose with a cart on their way out the gate.

On stepping out of the gates, they saw a lighted building with a painted sign decorated with the image of a white monkey.

“That’s where the Doctor said he’d meet us,” said Sara, pointing.

Bucky sniffed the aromas of cooking spices and meats. 

“You hungry?” she asked.

“Actually, I am,” he said. “You got money?”

“I’ve got the change bag that the Doctor gave me...here,” said Sara, digging in her robe and pulling it out. She dug through the purse to see what was inside. There were mostly  
small silver pieces shaped like octagons, a few larger brass octagons, but there were a handful shaped strangely, like long rectangles with handles. “Whoa.”

“Is that money?”

“I guess so.” She tucked it into her sleeve.  
Inside the inn, patrons were sitting two or three at square tables. There was an open kitchen on the side of the room. She ordered food from a rabbit and handed him a big eight  
silver pieces and one of the handle bits (a pig nearby helped her count out the change). They sat at a table in the back corner by a window facing the palace walls, and their food was about five minutes in coming. They each got a small bowl of egg-drop soup, a larger bowl of chicken and rice, and a spring roll. 

While Sara tucked into the soup, Bucky stared vacantly at the chicken.

“What?”

“How am I supposed to eat this?” he asked. “They gave us spoons for the soup, but no forks for the chicken.”

“That’s what the chopsticks are for,” she said, confused why it wasn’t so obvious.

“Where?”

“There, next to your bowl,” she said, nudging them. 

“How?” 

“Gimme your hand.”

He handed her both of his hands and the chopsticks. “You put the one chopstick here,” she said, tucking it under his right thumb, “and the other chopstick there between your  
index finger and thumb like this.” She slid the second chopstick under his index finger the way one would hold a pencil. “You move this second one back and forth and voila, just  
squeeze the chicken between the ends and pick it up.”

She accidentally brushed his metal hand and shuddered a little She looked at him and caught him looking at her. She returned her gaze to the table.Bucky experimented with a  
piece of chicken. His grip on the second chopstick was loose and the chicken slipped out.

“No, not like that,” said Sara, fixing his grip again. “Ever eaten Oriental food? Of any kind?”

“No,” he shook his head slowly.

“How did they feed you, then?” asked Sara.

Bucky looked away from her for a moment. She took a few sips of soup.

“They didn’t feed me,” said Bucky. 

“They didn’t?”

“They kept me alive on nutrient infusions, injections, they may have even force-fed me, but they never let me feed myself...I got distracted once, when I was in a city...there was a  
bakery nearby. I wandered over there because I wondered what the smell was. But then my masters….I don’t remember what they did to me. It seems like every time I did something they didn’t like, they would do something to me.”

Sara knew what he was talking about. She had been with Coulson to the bank vault in DC where Hydra had “prepped” their asset. She looked away from him. They both ended up  
staring at their plates for a moment.

Sara remembered that she was eager to try the chicken and took a few bites with her own chopsticks. Bucky managed to get the hang of his after a few minutes, and ate his  
chicken and rice in large bites.

“So how do you feel, coming out of that?” asked Sara.

“What? With the Soothsayer?”

“Yeah. What was it like?”

Bucky thought for a moment. “I felt like...like I was opening. Like a part of me had been locked up, but it wasn’t anymore.”

“And do you remember anything now?”

“A few things,” he said evasively. He took a large bite of rice.

“What do you remember?” she asked as he chewed slowly.

“I don’t want to talk about it. But enough about me, what about you?”

 

The question had caught her off guard, but she had been thinking about it.

“Well, it’s not like there are any memories that I’ve forgotten, it’s just that, in the exercise we did, with the water droplet, I was seeing them again with new eyes. Like I’d taken off a filter...you know, I guess that’s what I did back there. There were certain ways I’ve remembered my past life, ways that I’d colored them to make sense, you could say. But the filter’s gone now, at least for now. I see my memories for what they really are.”

“And they are?”

“Just that. Memories. They don’t have to give me any bearing on whatever decisions I make in the future. Except for what I’ve learned from them, of course. But I don’t need to  
think negatively of myself for what I’ve done wrong in the past. That’s a good feeling I get, just thinking about it.”

“Well, what are some things you’ve done wrong?”

“Judging others. Not wanting to be friends with people at my school because they weren’t as good as me. Joining the cheer squad in high school because I wanted to be popular.  
Leaving them because I realized the other girls were really crappy people.” Now thinking about it made her sad, and she was tempted to put the filter back on.  
But she looked across the table. She had to be strong. She had to not let that hold her back anymore, for herself if not for him or for anyone else.

“You know, just dumb things, little things. I did them because I thought I had problems. But then I got smart and I made better choices. And I’m going to keep doing that.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you ‘change the way you made choices’ after what you had been through? How, really?”

He looked at her from under his hat, and peering at him from under hers it felt a lot farther.

“I changed my choices so that I did things not just to make myself happy but to make myself better. Because I felt like I was meant to be more than what I wanted. And I changed  
because I realized there are people with a lot bigger problems than me but who still have more of what matters.”

People like you, she wanted to add. Well, maybe you don’t have anything, but when you get better again, you will. I’m sure of it.

But she didn’t add those last bits. She took a few more bites of her rice. She and Bucky didn’t talk much more after that. 

It was when they were thinking about touching their spring rolls that two strangers like themselves, two humans in red robes and conical hats, came striding into the Inn. The  
man ordered some spring rolls and wontons to go, much to the befuddlement of the rabbit chef. Then when his order was placed, he and his young female companion  
approached the back table.

“Good evening,” said the Doctor, bowing to them.

“Good evening,” Sara said.

“I trust your visit with the soothsayer went well.”

“It did indeed,” Sara replied, nodding at Bucky. “We both...learned a lot.”

The chef called for them to pick up their order.

“Well, no need to dally around here too much longer. Let’s be off.”

Sara and Bucky followed Clara and the Doctor out of the inn. “Carry on!” he shouted to the Inn staff, who only watched them depart with stares of confusion. 

 

En Route to Corona

The T.A.R.D.I.S. was in a back alley a short distance away. When they entered the control room, they gratefully shed their hats and robes, and Sara helped Clara put them away in the wardrobe room.

The Doctor ordered them to meet him and Bucky in the lounge. When they arrived, the Doctor had their treats from the Inn spread on a small platter placed on one of the side tables.

“So where do we go next, Miss Martin?” asked the Doctor.

“Just a second,” said Sara, withdrawing the Loremaster’s napkin from her pocket. “Here we are:”

If you seek to remedy evil to you done,  
Seek a cure in the tears holding light from the sun.

“So where do we go for that?”

The Doctor smiled. “Are you familiar with the Disney version of the Rapunzel story?”

“Yes, I am,” said Sara.

“Good. We will set our course for Corona, then.”

“That’s the name of her kingdom, is it?”

“Where is that?” asked Bucky.

“It’s in an alternate version of your homeworld, much the same as this version of China.”

Sara grabbed a wonton. 

“Now, while you two were gone, we received an urgent distress call from a friend from our own dimension, something about weeping angels and daleks running a joint attack on  
the such-and-such planet.”

“Wait, you’re not leaving us again, are you?” said Bucky.

Clara looked at the floor.

“I am afraid I have to, young man. Duty calls in the line of duty. I am afraid having you two in the way would spoil your own stories considerably.”

Sara and Bucky both protested, but the Doctor cut them off, “No buts about it. Now, Miss Martin, could you read me the rhyme for the next destination please?”

Sara groaned. “Fine. The next one reads:

If you seek a truth that is buried by ice,  
A thaw from a snow queen may for you suffice

“Arendelle? We’re going to Arendelle after that?” Sara felt considerably less angry.

“Arendelle, good, Corona and Arendelle are in the same world, it should be easy for you two to get from one to the other.

“Probably not as easy for them as you would think, Doctor,” said Clara.

“Oh, nonsense, Clara, they’ll be all right.” He waved a hand dismissively.

Bucky gave Sara a look. She only shrugged. 

 

After Bucky had gone to bed, Sara was in the bathroom brushing her teeth when Clara entered.

“Do you mind if I come in?”

“Go ahead,” said Sara. “I was just about done.”

“How did he do today?”

“He did okay,” said Sara. “He wasn’t too excited about the treatment the soothsayer gave him. It was kind of weird, really, but I’ve seen it before in the movie.”

“Did it help him?”

“I don’t know. He just looked really tired at the end, like right after Mira Nova finished with him. I don’t know what to make of him, Clara, he’s just...tight, bottled up. Maybe the  
soothsayer loosened him a little bit, I don’t know.”

“Do you want to talk?” Clara asked, gesturing to the lounge.

“Sure,” said Sara, “although I don’t know if there’s that much to talk about.”

“Well, maybe I know a few things that can help you.”

Sara and Clara sat on the sofa.

“The Bucky I knew, of course,” said Clara, “was completely different. He--”

“I know about it,” said Sara. “It was all over Steve Rogers’ facebook after the incident in D.C. Steve thought really highly of him. But please, continue.”

“Well, I was going to say, Bucky was...a really nice guy. He liked going dancing and hanging out with friends and having fun. I only met him that one time, but I got that  
impression of him. A divine dancer, really had good moves...but, he didn’t want to be a hero or anything. Never did. He saw the other young men of his generation enlisting and thought he could get ahead by doing the same, and he did. He had dropped out of college to enlist, but he’d never figured out what to do with his life, he wasn’t interested in being a lawyer or a doctor or a storekeeper. He just lived to have enough to get by and to have a good time. Not much else really mattered to him. Except for Steve. He really thought highly of that kid, even when he was a nobody. He fought at Steve’s side in the war because he was loyal to him, that was all. Of course I learned some of this later.”

Sara wasn’t sure what to make of that statement. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I think Bucky may be looking for a purpose in life now. Something to do with himself. Now that he’s been through all this, as soon as he starts to remember it might not be  
enough for him to go back to his former life.”

“Well, it sounds like he doesn’t have much of a former life to go back to.”

“I think it would help if you tried to encourage him to find some direction. The Doctor has taken people on trips like this before, the Ponds told me about it. When your quest is  
finished, the Doctor will leave you both right where he found you. You’ll go back to being whatever you were before, he’ll go back to being a homeless waif.”

“You don’t think he’ll be ready to find Steve?”

“I think it’s going to take a long time for Bucky to remember,” said Clara. “I think whatever happens on this quest, it won’t be enough to restore him the way he was before. He’ll  
have to find his own way. This journey is only supposed to help him start finding himself again. Does that make sense to you?”

“It does,” said Sara. “After what I saw today, I think he’s got a long way to go. I just...wish it didn’t have to be that way, though. Steve would do a much better job of getting him  
to remember, they were friends in the past. I’m just a total stranger to him.”

The Doctor walked into the lounge just then, wearing a quilted bathrobe. 

“He’s not ready to go back to Steve,” said the Doctor, “not until he is sure that he knows who he is and that Steve truly means to help him. He told me so himself. I was checking  
on him just now.”

“Well, why wasn’t what happened in D.C. enough to convince him?” asked Sara. “I’d have been convinced, if it was me.”

“Bucky’s mind was still very much under Hydra’s control at that point,” said the Doctor, taking one of the armchairs. “Steve was very lucky to remind him of anything.”

“Any reason we couldn’t go back in time and show Bucky his former self? That would convince him, wouldn’t it?”

“No, no, we would not convince Bucky of anything by showing him his former self,” said the Doctor. “That wouldn’t work. Bucky would think it was a delusion of some sort. And  
his past self wouldn’t be very pleased, I think, to see his future. You shouldn’t mess with the storyline like that. It’s not very safe. The space-time continuum is unstable enough  
as it is.”

The three of them were silent for a moment. Sara was sorry she had brought up that topic.

“Why are you helping us?” asked Sara.

“As a favor to the Loremaster, of course, we are old friends, we go back a long ways.”

“No, I mean, why do you do it? For us?”

“Well, I know you just wanted to help him out, young lady,” said the Doctor, “but as for Bucky, his future is yet to be written, but his destiny will have profound effects in space and  
time.”

“Destiny? What destiny?”

“That is all I have to say on the subject,” said the Doctor. “Even I do not know what it is, but Bucky has some integral part yet to play in the world he comes from. He already has,  
of course, but that was as Hydra’s lackey. Next time, he will write the future in his own terms. And Steve will have a part to play in that, too, I think. It will, of course, involve taking out whatever’s left of Hydra.”

Sara racked her brains. A destiny for Bucky...it made no sense.

“Does this have anything to do with the Avengers?”

“I expect it will,” said the Doctor. “That was quite a shakeup they gave the universe when they stopped the Chitauri from taking over their planet. A mortal embarrassment to  
Thanos, but sad to say Thanos doesn’t take kindly to such slights.”

“And who is Thanos?” She looked from the Doctor to Clara. Clara shifted in her seat.

“No one I think you’ll need to fret your head about,” said the Doctor, “although Bucky might have to someday. But returning to the subject, my theory is that the Avengers may be  
needing help from our friend when Thanos strikes again. We are helping you because Bucky will need to be ready for when that day comes, and the sooner he starts on the road to recovery the better. It will be that much less pain for him and Steve to deal with--although, I fear there still might be quite a lot of pain involved when those two meet again, physical and emotional.”

“So why am I involved in all this?”

“Don’t know,” said the Doctor. “You’re the one he went to for help. I’m just driving you around the universe so you can help him. Good night, all.”

The Doctor left the room. Clara shrugged and left soon after. So Sara went to bed, and she lay awake for a time thinking about space monsters and Avengers and Hydra and  
wondering what possible destiny the Doctor was so interested in preparing Bucky to meet.

 

She felt she hadn’t been asleep for very long, though, when she heard a strange howl echoing through her bedroom. It didn’t take long for her to realize that the noise was coming from the next room over. She rolled out of bed and whipped on her bathrobe. Then she knocked on Bucky’s door.

“Bucky? Bucky are you all right?” she called. There was no answer. She opened the door.

Bucky was lying tangled in his sheets. He raised his arms over his eyes to block out the incoming light.

“Bucky?”

“Don’t take me!” he said. “Don’t take me!” He had no idea she was in the room.

She ran to his side and rubbed him awake. “Bucky, it’s me, Sara! You’re all right!”

“Steve...Steve...don’t let them take me,” he echoed.

“Bucky! Please, wake up!” 

His eyes slid open. 

“Bucky, it’s me, Sara, I’m right here,” she said to him. “It was only a dream. Come on, let’s get you out of bed.” She sat him up. 

Bucky was panting, and his sweatshirt was wet with perspiration.

“It was only...It was only…” he murmured. 

“It was just a dream,” Sara said, hauling his arm over her shoulder. “I can help you get it out of your head.” She grabbed a blanket and draped it over his shoulder.

Bucky went with her without complaint. They went into the lounge, and Sara plopped them both on the couch.

“It’s going to be okay,” Sara said, wrapping the blanket tighter around them both. “It was just a nightmare. You’re awake now. You’re safe. What were you dreaming about?”

“Them...it was them...they came back for me,” he said.

“They won’t come back for you here,” said Sara gently. “You’re in the T.A.R.D.I.S. It’s the safest place in the universe. They’ll never find us. I won’t let them.”

Bucky buried his head onto her shoulder. Sara threw her arms around him. “It’s okay to be scared. I know the feeling.” Sort of, she added mentally.

She tried to think of a lullaby. The first thing she could think of was “You’ll Be in My Heart,” from Tarzan. So she crooned to him softly and rocked him. She thought of all the  
people who were trying so hard to find Bucky and how it was she who was comforting him in his hour of need.

She sat up and talked and sang to him for a short while. He fell asleep and she left him on the couch, wrapped in the blanket.

Their hosts said nothing when Bucky was found on the couch the next morning. The Doctor and Clara gave them breakfast again when they woke, French toast with powdered sugar. Sara wasn’t the only one surprised when Bucky asked for seconds.

When Sara announced that she was ready to get dressed, the Doctor told her, “Actually, you won’t need to get dressed today. We will have you two go to Corona wearing glamours.”

“Glamours? What are those?” asked Bucky.

“Illusions that make you appear to be wearing thorough disguises. However, these glamours are so state-of-the-art that you’ll be able to touch and feel them as if they were real  
clothing. Clara, if you don’t mind.” 

Clara had pulled out a box while the Doctor was talking, and she opened it to show them two large gemstones, deep red, attached to ribbon necklaces. 

“You can just tuck these down your collars and no one will know the difference. Be warned, however, if you remove the Glamours for any reason, your disguises will vanish.”

“Will it hide my arm?” asked Bucky.

“I’m afraid not, young man, but the glamour should come with long sleeves and other coverings that will hide it. Not to worry. Now, if you will remove your jacket and that filthy  
hat, Mr. Barnes, and Miss Martin, if you could please take off your bathrobe.”

“What?” said Sara, blushing, “you want him to see me in my pajamas?”

“You forget that your young male friends in Provo would see you in pajamas all the time, Miss Martin. You two stand facing back-to-back and he won’t be the wiser.”

“Erm,” Bucky tried to interject.

“They weren’t my male friends,” Sara protested as they turned back-to-back. “Well, at least not the ones who saw me in my pajamas. They were my roommates’ boyfriends.” She  
handed her pink bathrobe over to the Doctor. Clara slid the Glamours over their necks.

She felt absolutely nothing, but the effect was almost instantaneous. It was like she were a chameleon or an octopus changing her skin color. She couldn’t tell if her nightgown had disappeared or just morphed into the gorgeous dress she was wearing. She had a pale yellow petticoat and puffed sleeves. The overdress was pale green, thicker in the middle with a laced bodice and cut open in the middle to show off the petticoat, and decorated with embroidered designs of flowers and leaves. 

She gasped with delight at her own outfit, then looked up and saw her friend. He had on black pants, loose but not too baggy, and boots that she thought were black at first but were really very dark brown. He had a long-sleeved brown shirt under a black vest. 

The Doctor walked around them to survey them. “Not bad, not bad, nothing too drastic, I hope, for you, Mr. Barnes.”

“I guess it’s all right,” said Bucky, waving his arms to get a feel for the baggy sleeves. 

“Clara, can you get those riding gloves from my closet?” 

“Yes, Doctor,” Clara said, leaving the room.

“Are you really sure you couldn’t come with us?” asked Sara, not pausing from twirling around in her skirt. She had flat shoes on, pale green to match the dress, and not too big or  
too tight.

“I am afraid I will have to meet you in Arendelle,” said the Doctor. “I will not be able to come with you to Corona, seeing as there is a bounty on my head from the last time I  
visited there.”

“For what?” 

“Long story,” Clara said as she reentered the room and handed the gloves to Bucky. “The Doctor will have to wait until the next time he regenerates to go back there.”

“But from Corona, you can take a sailing ship to Arendelle,” the Doctor said. “The voyage shouldn’t take longer than a week of their time.”

“A week?” Sara exclaimed. 

Bucky tried on the gloves and flexed his fingers within them.

“How do they fit?” asked Clara.

“They’re all right,” said Bucky. “Not the best gloves I’ve worn, but I’ll get used to them.”

Sara went to look at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. No Halloween costume or childhood dress-up game could ever compare to this.

“So you say the journey to the next place will take a week?” Bucky said.

“It won’t hurt you to be alone with Sara for an extended period of time, will it?” asked the Doctor.

Sara undid her bedtime braid, wondering how she should do her hair. She hadn’t felt this vain about an outfit since the formal dinner she had been to in DC a year ago.

“I guess,” said Bucky, sounding resigned. “But what about our outfits? You can’t expect us to keep these stones on forever, do you?”

“You can take them off at night when you go to sleep,” said the Doctor. “ The Glamours will give you an appropriate appearance for whichever setting you are in. Just you be  
careful you don’t lose them.”

Sara decided on a sideways French braid. 

“Oh, Clara, can you get some of the Corona currency from the drawer in the control room?” asked the Doctor.

“Yes, sir.” Clara popped in briefly to check on Sara. “You look lovely.”

“Thank you.”

“So what’s Mr. Barnes going to do about his hair, eh? Bit of a mess?”

The Doctor looked at Bucky.

“You could comb it,” suggested the Doctor. 

“No thanks. It’ll be fine.”

“You sure? You’ll be less likely to attract attention if you clean yourself up a little.”

“I guess I’ll shave,” said Bucky, stroking his chin. “But don’t ask me to do anything else for you.”

“Could we get him a haircut?” Clara asked, walking back into the room with a couple of small pouches.

“We don’t have time, Clara,” said the Doctor. “We’re nearly there. Our friends will want to get an audience with the princess as soon as possible. Plus if the Glamour didn’t give  
him one, then I guess there will be no problem with it here.”

“Princess? We’re going to see another princess?” asked Bucky, walking into the bathroom.

The Doctor came in right behind him. “There’s razors and shaving cream in the drawer. Yes, your next benefactor is a princess. In fact, the only people who are helping you  
who aren’t royalty of some sort are the Tooth Fairy and the Soothsayer. You will want to look presentable, I think, for this one.”

“Right,” said Bucky. He slathered a handful of shaving cream onto his hand, spraying a few dabs onto Sara’s dress. “Sorry,” he said when he noticed her wiping off the flecks.

“It’s all right,” said Sara. “I’ll step out. You’re welcome to use a hair tie, too, if you want.”

“For what?”

“Your hair. That should be long enough for a ponytail, shouldn’t it?”

Sara went to the lounge. She made small talk with Clara while they waited for Bucky. Bucky emerged clean-shaven with his hair in the tie.

“Well, don’t you clean up nicely?” Sara smirked at him. “Does he look anything like your date from the 1940s, Clara?”

“A little more,” said Clara. She handed them the coin purses, which they belted at their waists.

Bucky looked a little insecure without a quarter-inch of stubble to hide behind, but he smiled and shrugged. “So when do we get off?”

“Now should be a good time,” said the Doctor. “I will see you both in less than a week in Arendelle.”

“In Arendelle, then,” Clara nodded. She hugged Sara. “Have fun!”

“You too,” said Sara, though she wondered if Clara and the Doctor were ever going to have as good a time she was hoping would be in store for her and Bucky.

The Doctor showed them to the door of the T.A.R.D.I.S. “It should be a short walk to the city from where we’re leaving you,” he said, opening the doors. “Remember, spend your  
money wisely and don’t lose your Glamours. Go straight to the castle. The princess holds her private audiences in the afternoons, and if you can, ask if you two could see her alone. Take care.”

He shook hands with Sara. To Sara’s surprsie, Bucky also gave him a handshake.

“We’ll be all right,” Bucky told him.

“See you in Arendelle.”

They emerged from the T.A.R.D.I.S. into a sunlit meadow, a thick carpet of green grass and flowers surrounded by tall trees. Sara liked the place immediately.

“Which way do we go?” asked Bucky.

“I think I see a road just beyond the trees,” Sara said. “That should take us to the kingdom. Come on!”

 

Corona

Sara was excited to have found herself in such a pleasant situation, and wearing a nice dress helped immensely. She took off for the road at a run and Bucky had to catch up with her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I almost forgot you!” Sara laughed when they reached the road.

Bucky laughed with her. “Well, you couldn’t forget about me, I’m the reason you’re on this crazy trip.”

“Of course! Do you think I’d want to come here by myself?”

Between the row of tall trees on either side of the road, the towers of a castle rose in the distance before them. They began walking. They passed human people going both  
directions and also crossing in and out of the woods, foresters, farmers, cart-drivers and soldiers and housewives. They were well-dressed, healthy-looking, friendly people. 

Bucky fidgeted with the glove over his metal hand. “Does it seem a little warm to you?” he asked Sara. 

“We’ll get something to drink when we get there,” she said, taking his hand in hers. “Something to eat, too.”

She thought she might drop his hand, but he didn’t let go. It wasn’t anything romantic, just friendly and comfortable. They let their arms swing a little as they walked. 

It was a good hour’s walk to the causeway that led over the wide river into the city. Inside the gates, they found a vendor selling slices of a grainy bread with a tangy vegetable spread. They got cups to drink from a public fountain. Sara loved the city. The rustic buildings had flowers and vegetables growing in window boxes and the shops were full of pretty clothes, shoes, foods, flowers, goods of all kinds. She was very tempted to linger in front of a toy shop, but Bucky pulled her ahead. 

The gates of the castle were wide open. When asked about the princess’s audiences, a guard directed them to go to a room adjoining the throne room. There was a short line of people of all ages and classes. The room was not as lavish as the throne room but was decorated with comfortable chairs and wood paneling.

“Is that the Princess?” Bucky said, looking to the head of the line.

“It must be,” said Sara.

Rapunzel hadn’t changed much. Her cropped hair hung to her chin unadorned except for a blue headband and she wore a short-sleeved blue dress with pale blue ribbons and  
lacing. Flynn Rider was at her side, in a fancy black vest. Their petitioners came up one by one or in small groups. Some of them were children who had just come to say hello to their princess. Some were farmers or businessmen with small complaints to make, asking for the princess’ intervention in their cases. They stood in line for about half an hour.  
The interviews ahead of them took from a few minutes to, at the longest, nearly ten.

Finally, they were at the front of the line. The people ahead of them were a young mother with her two children who had brought flowers to the princess. 

“Next,” said the guard who was standing by.

Sara was so excited she actually felt a little nervous. It wasn’t every day you got to meet a favorite Disney heroine face-to-face. Bucky watched her uncertainly.

Sara gave a little curtsy. “Your highness, my name is Sara. This is my friend Bucky. We have come to ask for your help. You see, Bucky has been hurt terribly by some very evil people and he no longer remembers who he is. We are journeying a very long way to find ways to help him. We were told that you would know of a cure from ‘tears holding the light of the sun.’ Do you know that is?” She tried to be as vague as possible in case she somehow offended the princess by mentioning her gift.

Rapunzel had nodded to Sara’s statements as she spoke. She looked them carefully up and down. She said, “I know what you are asking me. This sounds like something that my tears would heal. If you two would like to wait,” she said, gesturing to one of the couches on the side of the room, “I will meet with you privately after the audience is over.”

“Of course, your highness,” said Sara. “Thank you.”

She and Bucky went to the indicated couch. The other supplicants in line looked at them strangely. Flynn Rider glanced over at them, too, not sure what he was seeing.

“How long do we have to wait?” asked Bucky.

“Until this is over,” said Sara. “Wow, she was extremely nice. She noticed right away. I wonder how she knew?”

“Don’t know,” said Bucky.

They sat on the couch. Sara leaned against the arms to observe Rapunzel and Flynn. A clock on the far wall showed half-past two. 

“Hey,” Sara said, observing something.

“What?” said Bucky.

“You’re a little more talkative than normal.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“I guess,” said Sara. “Don’t people like to talk?”

“Well, what do people talk about?”

“Things, you know, just--whatever’s on their mind, not too personal, not too vague.”

The patrons were actually interesting to watch and they were fairly entertained looking around the room and listening to the princess. 

At ten minutes to three, the guards closed the door and dismissed the people at the end of the line. It was not until ten after that the last patrons were dismissed. 

Rapunzel and Flynn stood up and stretched. 

“We’re sorry about the wait,” said Rapunzel.

“It’s all right,” said Sara, mirroring the princess’s bright smile as they stood up. 

The royal couple walked across the room to greet them.

“I don’t believe I got your names the first time,” said Flynn as they shook hands.

“My name’s Sara. Sara Martin.”

“And I’m Bucky.”

“And that’s short for?”

“James Buchanan Barnes,” said Sara. 

“That’s what she thinks it is,” Bucky clarified.

“Well, hey, it’s not as rough on the ears as Eugene FitzHerbert--owch!” Flynn said.

“Oh, Eugene!” said Rapunzel.

“This here is Rapunzel,” he said, grabbing her around the shoulders, “the one time lost princess of Corona, but she isn’t lost anymore, so I guess that makes her the found  
princess?”

“He likes to tease me about that,” Rapunzel brushed off the remark. 

“Really?” said Bucky.

“I suppose you two want to meet us in some place more private,” Rapunzel said. “You can follow us. Pascal might like the company, I think.”

“Who’s Pascal?” said Bucky.

“You’ll see,” said Sara brightly.

“You keep saying that but no one ever answers my questions,” said Bucky.

“Well, have I ever disappointed you in the promise that you would get to see something?”

Rapunzel and Flynn laughed. They began to walk up a wide marble staircase, going slowly to accommodate the conversation.

“Only a very few people know that my tears still have power,” said Rapunzel. “If anyone comes to me for help, they are usually the kind who really need it.”

“Well, I’m very happy you could help us, your highness. So how have you two been?” asked Sara. “I mean, I’ve heard your story, about how you two met and fell in love. Are you  
guys married yet?”

“Yes we are,” said Rapunzel, holding out her arm to look at Flynn. 

“Six months from yesterday,” Flynn added.

“Wow, congratulations. So you did do your honeymoon in Arendelle?”

Rapunzel laughed. “No, silly. We went to the seaside. Arendelle was afterwards. We made a special trip for Queen Elsa’s coronation.”

“Really? so that was just this last summer? The whole Arendelle getting frozen thing?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Did you two end up getting stuck out there?”

“No, we had to leave the party early,” Flynn said with mock dejection. 

“Aww.”

“I don’t think we missed anything, really,” Rapunzel commented aside.

They left the staircase for a long hallway illuminated with tall windows.

“And Pascal and Maximus, how are they?”

“They’re doing great,” said Flynn. 

“So, Princess, I mean your highness,” Bucky spoke up.

“You can call me Rapunzel.”

“I call her blondie--’cause she used to be blonde,” Flynn snerked.

“Well, Rapunzel, I heard Flynn saying you were a lost princess at one point?” he walked ahead of Sara to catch up with them.

“Mm-hm,” Rapunzel nodded.

“So how is it you were found?”

Rapunzel explained her story to Bucky. Sara was distracted by the view from the window and stopped to look out. There was an amazing view of the kingdom. She saw herself in  
a mirror across the hallway, and then next to the mirror was a tapestry of Rapunzel’s tower.

“I was very little when I was taken, really--just a baby,” Rapunzel was telling him, although Sara was listening rather distractedly. “Some people don’t believe it when I say I  
remembered my former life, but when I finally visited the kingdom, it seemed like it was a part of me.”

“How so?”

“Have you seen the symbol of our kingdom, the sun?” She withdrew a small purple cloth from her pocket. It had the Corona sun symbol painted on it on it.

“I have.”

“I remembered this symbol from when I was a baby,” said Rapunzel. “It was a pattern that I was drawn to, even when I was in the tower. I used to paint on the walls when I was  
bored. And when I did, this pattern somehow found itself there. When I recognized it...I just knew.”

“But there’s no way,” Bucky looked at her in disbelief.

“I know it sounds crazy. Even I couldn’t understand at first. But I realized that it was a part of me all along. So tell me, what’s your story?”

“I...don’t even know where to begin,” said Bucky.

“Hey, aren’t you coming with us?” Flynn called back down the hallway to Sara.

“Oh!” said Sara, looking up from the tapestry. “I was just admiring your decorations on the wall here. Sorry.”

“It’s all right,” said Rapunzel as Sara came running up to them. At least she had the pleasure of running up the hall in a skirt and flats that actually fit her. She had always wanted  
to do that.

Rapunzel pushed open the door at the end of the hall. The inside was a sitting room with a fireplace. Carpets, chairs, and couches were arranged neatly around it, but Sara could  
tell it was a living space because of the pieces of laundry and discarded books and possessions laying about. 

“Pascaaaaaal,” Rapunzel called. “Where are you?” She left Flynn’s side to look under a couch and to peer into a drawer. “He must be in here somewhere, because that’s right  
where we left him.”

She threw open a curio cabinet, then pulled open the drapes and checked the fireplace mantle.

Sara, Flynn, and Bucky watched Rapunzel look around and call for Pascal.

“I don’t get it,” said Bucky.

“Wait for it,” Flynn reassured them.

Rapunzel gave a squeal of delight when she turned over a cushion. “There you are! You did good this time!” She picked up a small creature in her hands that squealed with  
delight as she touched it. She called them over to her.

They went to a spot closest to the fireplace, where there were three chairs arranged in a circle. Flynn brought up a fourth.

“This is Pascal,” Rapunzel said, holding out the lizard to Sara.

Sara took him eagerly. “Hello, Pascal! It’s so nice to meet you!”

Pascal squeaked and turned a little pink in the cheeks as she kissed his tiny head.

“Bucky, do you want to hold him?”

“What? Me? Hold that thing?” Bucky gawked. 

“Come on! He’s really friendly.”

“Sure, once you get to know him,” said Flynn, sitting down. 

“Eugene,” Rapunzel chided him.

But Bucky decided it wouldn’t hurt, and he took the little creature in his hands. It looked at him with big, interested eyes and curled up on the tips of his fingers. Then it turned a  
shade of brown to match the leather of his borrowed gloves.

“Whoa!” Bucky said, sounding more delighted than scared. 

“Cool, huh?” said Sara.

“What is it?” asked Bucky, returning Pascal to Rapunzel. He and Sara sat down.

“He’s a chameleon,” said Rapunzel, placing Pascal on her shoulder. “Their skin can do that. So how can I help you? You need my tears to heal you?”

“I guess,” Bucky shrugged. 

“Then give me your hand.”

“Does it matter which one?”

“Either one, as long as my tears make contact with your skin.”

Bucky pulled the glove of his right hand, passing it to Sara. Rapunzel scooted her chair closer to him. Very slowly, he stretched his hand out to both of hers. She lowered it into  
her lap.

“Now what?” said Bucky.

“When my hair was longer,” said Rapunzel, “it glowed when I sang a magic incantation and could heal whatever it touched. But when it was cut, it stopped glowing. Instead, I’ve  
found I can sometimes use my tears to heal people. So I just need to cry onto your hand, then.”

“Well, don’t you keep a supply of your tears for situations like this?” Sara asked.

“I’ve made that suggestion more than once,” said Flynn.

“Eugene, stop it,” said Rapunzel. “I don’t think it a wise use of my remaining powers to save them up like that.”

“Hm, you’re right,” said Flynn. “Maybe Pascal here could bite you on the ear.”

“Eugene, no!” said Rapunzel. Pascal glared at Flynn. “Or how about,” she suggested, “you tell me your story, Bucky.”

“But I told you,” said Bucky, “I can’t. I don’t even know how it begins. Maybe Sara could tell it for you.”

“Do you really think this would work?” Sara asked them. “I mean, it is terrible, what he’s been through, but even I don’t always cry on occasions like this.”

“We’ll see what happens,” said Flynn, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.

Sara sighed. “I guess I’ll try.” She looked at Bucky and nodded.

This was the story she told:

Once upon a time in a faraway city, there lived two boys named Steve and Bucky, and they were the best of friends. Steve was a sickly little boy who wasn’t very strong, but Bucky was always there to make sure that the bigger boys got what they deserved for picking on him.

“Sounds like my kind of story,” said Flynn Rider. Rapunzel nudged him. Sara continued,

Though Steve was not very strong, he always made it a point to look after himself. But Bucky was as faithful a friend as one could ever have, and he promised Steve that he would always be there to help him. “I’m with you ‘til the end of the line,” Bucky said to him.

The two boys grew to be men, but for some reason or another Steve hadn’t gotten over being small and sickly. A war began, and all of the able-bodied young men of the city were called up to fight in a distant land. Bucky was able to go, but poor Steve wasn’t able-bodied at all. It looked like he was going to be left alone for a very long time.

Then one day, Steve met a scientist named Doctor Erskine. Doctor Erskine had invented a special formula that could make any man strong, that could make any man into a super-human who could run and fight all day without getting tired. Steve volunteered to have the serum tested on him, and the results were spectacular. He was now strong enough to fight back against anyone who would dare to pick on him or on anybody else. 

Steve finally made it to the front lines of the war in the distant parts of his world. He wanted to find Bucky and tell him about his success, but then he heard that Bucky’s unit of soldiers had been captured in battle by the armies of the evil Hydra organization and their leader, the Red Skull. Steve armed himself with a shield and went behind the enemy’s lines to see if he could rescue his friend. He found many of his countrymen and allies there in the Red Skull’s fortress. But Bucky he found in a back room, strapped to a table, because the Red Skull wanted to create his own serum like Doctor Erskine’s and was using Bucky for his experiment. Together, Steve and Bucky raced out of the fortress to their freedom.

Bucky sat rigid, leaning over in his chair. Rapunzel’s face was grim, and so was Pascal’s.

But Steve’s work as a hero was not done. He led a band of brave fellows to destroy all of Hydra’s fortresses across the land, and Bucky, his best friend, was at his side. 

Then one day, Steve and Bucky and their company were in the mountains, attempting to capture the Red Skull’s henchman, the diabolical Doctor Arnim Zola, when Bucky was pushed to the side of a cliff, and Steve was unable to catch him before he fell off.

Steve’s grief at losing his friend was terrible. He confronted the Red Skull as he was about to set out to destroy the world and he destroyed him, but then there was a terrible accident, and Steve was frozen on the ice of the far north. He left behind a woman he had come to care for, but the world was safe from Hydra’s treachery...at least for now.

Pascal gave a squeak of terror.

“So then what happened?” asked Flynn.

Steve did not die on the ice. Instead, he was frozen in it and slept like a dead man for seventy years, never aging, never weaker. When he awoke, the world he had known had changed very much. There wasn’t anything he could do to make up for the time he’d lost, so he decided to continue to serve and protect mankind. 

He was starting to get the hang of it his new life. Then, one day, Steve learned a terrible secret: the Red Skull’s henchman Zola, who had survived the war, had kept Hydra alive within his own country, and they had developed a terrible plan with which to destroy and conquer the world. Once he had learned their secret, Hydra wanted to stop Steve at any costs. So they sent their most dreaded and feared assassin to stop him. The assassin was known as the Winter Soldier. 

The Winter Soldier came for Steve and his friends. They fought a terrible battle. But then Steve knocked off the mask that the assassin was wearing--and who do you think was under that mask?

It was his dear friend Bucky.

Rapunzel nearly choked. Her eyes were brimming with tears. But she nodded for Sara to continue.

Yes. Steve knew that face anywhere. It was too terrible to be true. Steve’s friends insisted that he was mistaken, but Steve knew he wasn’t.

And Steve was right. Bucky had survived his terrible fall, because the evil poisons that the Red Skull had tested on him had given him super strength. Doctor Zola had found him after the war had ended. He brainwashed Bucky to make him forget his name and his friends, and he trained him to be a deadly assassin. And when the Winter Soldier was not needed, they kept him frozen in a block of ice, and that was how he stayed alive during those seventy long, terrible years.

But something about the chance meeting with Steve made Bucky remember. His masters tried to make him forget, and they sent him out to stop the brave hero as he was preparing to destroy Hydra’s weapons. Steve only fought the Winter Soldier because he had to, but as soon as Hyda’s plan was foiled, he put down his shield and refused to fight him. He begged his friend to remember. But the Winter Soldier struck Steve harder and harder, telling him to leave him alone.

But Steve only said to him, “I am with you to the end of the line.” And Bucky remembered those words, from all those years ago. And Bucky ended up saving Steve’s life that day instead of killing him. But he was still so scared and confused by all that had happened that he had to leave as soon as he was sure Steve was safe. 

When Steve awoke, Bucky was gone. As soon as he was recovered from his injuries, he went to look for him. And he is still searching to this day.

“But what happened to Bucky?” asked Flynn. He was leaning forward now, attentive. He gestured at Sara’s companion. “Is this him?”

“Bucky went to wander the world in search of his true name and identity. And he has come to you for help.”

Rapunzel sobbed openly.

Sara was about to speak, but Flynn silenced her. Rapunzel began to sing:

“Flower, gleam and glow.  
Let your power shine,  
Make the clock reverse,  
bring back what once was mine.  
Heal what has been hurt,  
change the Fates’ design,  
Save what has been lost,  
Bring back what once was mine,  
What once was mine.”

Sara saw the tears streaming down her face, and as the sunlight struck them she saw that something was in them, something golden. And when a drop fell from her cheek, it hung in the air like a drop of molten metal. It fell onto Bucky’s outstretched hand...and then Rapunzel collapsed her face into it.

Bucky stared at her through the whole thing slack-jawed.

“There, there, blondie,” said Flynn, patting her on the back. 

Sara looked at Pascal. She thought the little chameleon was going to melt, he was crying so hard. Sara was feeling a little emotional herself.

Rapunzel sat up again and wiped her eyes. “That was a good story. Did that help?” she asked Bucky.

“I don’t know,” he said, taking his hand. “It still feels the same. All of me feels the same, except…” Something about Sara’s telling of his story had done something to him. He didn’t know how to describe it.

“And do you remember any of that now? What you’ve been through?” asked Flynn.

“It comes and goes,” he said. “Sometimes I remember more clearly than others.”

“He gets a little better every day,” said Sara. 

Pascal chattered something into Rapunzel’s ear. 

“Pascal wants to hug you,” she said, handing the chameleon to Bucky.

“Oh, thanks,” he said, blushing a little. Now that he thought of it, his hand felt slightly warm and tingly where the tear had fallen on it, as though something had penetrated  
through it. Pascal curled up into a little ball in his hands and then snuggled against his chest. It felt relaxing, actually, to stroke the little creature’s scaly back.

“Flynn’s the only person I’ve healed with the tears, actually, where the effect was instantaneous,” said Rapunzel. “Other people I’ve tried it for it took longer, a few hours to a few  
weeks. Some people I’ve never heard back from, even.”

“Well, it’s okay if it doesn’t work,” said Bucky, trying to express some cautious optimism.

“It will work,” said Rapunzel, clutching his hand warmly. Now it felt even stranger.

“Thank you for your time,” said Bucky.

“Not a problem,” said Rapunzel. “You really needed the help. Thank you for bringing your case to my attention. I hope you find your memories.”

“I hope so, too.”

The four of them rose. Bucky handed Pascal back to Rapunzel.

“A pleasure to meet you to,” said Sara.

“The pleasure is ours,” said Flynn, shaking hands. Bucky put the glove back on over his left hand, relieved he hadn’t been asked to show them the right one. The sun was beginning to lower outside.

“Where are you going next?”

“To Arendelle,” said Sara. “We believe one of his other problems may be a frozen heart.”

“Ah, yes,” Flynn nodded.

“Queen Elsa would be glad to help you with that, I think,” said Rapunzel. “I’ve heard she’s doing really well since the coronation.”

“That’s good to hear,” said sara. “We’ll be sure to give her your regards.”

“Of course,” said Rapunzel. She and Sara hugged.

The five of them went together back to the hall and down the stairs.

“I hear there’s actually a ship leaving for Arendelle tonight around eight with the tide,” said Rapunzel.

“What time is it now?” asked Bucky.

“A quarter to five,” Flynn read a grandfather clock in the hallway that chimed as they passed.

“Good, well, we’ll want to secure our passage as soon as possible,” said Sara.

“Do you have clothes or any other baggage?” asked Rapunzel.

“We’re taken care of,” Sara said. “And we’ve got enough money to pay for the passage.”

“The thugs from the Snuggly Duckling are going to be performing in the square at five,” said Flynn as they went down the stairs. “How about you and Sara go wait for us there,  
Blondie, while Bucky and I go to the ship?”

“Sounds reasonable,” said Bucky, nodding. He didn’t really have a preference either way.

“Great. We’ll get dinner and go dancing together, we can have a night on the town!” said Flynn excitedly.

“Okay,” said Bucky uncertainly, nodding.

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” said Sara.

“Do you get out and party much, Bucky?” Flynn asked.

“Er, no, not really.”

Sara laughed. “Back in the day, back in the day he was always the one looking for fun, and for trouble.”

“I’ve heard a lot of weird stuff about the way I used to be,” said Bucky.

“Don’t buy it for a moment,” Flynn said, giving him a pat on the back. “You can be as anti-social as you like. I’ll sit out from the dancing with you.”

They reached the front doors of the castle. The guards opened the doors to allow them to exit. They went down the steps to the main square, and the two ladies agreed to wait there for their gentlemen friends.

“Flynn’s turned out to be a great guy--or Eugene, rather,” said Sara.

“You call him what you like,” said Rapunzel. Rapunzel and Sara passed the time making small talk. The princess was curious about Sara’s world and how they had come to  
Corona. Sara was careful to avoid any mention of the Doctor. Some little girls who were friends with Rapunzel came to greet them and to play with Pascal. The thugs from the  
Snuggly Duckling arrived. The hook-handed one played proficiently with one hand and a hook, though Sara was still baffled as to how he did it.

Flynn Rider and Bucky returned after about twenty minutes. Flynn was greeted by his male friends, and he introduced his companion as an “out-of-towner.” Bucky informed Sara  
that their passage had been secured without trouble, but Flynn had been trying a little too hard to pry into his business.

With Flynn arrived, he and Rapunzel welcomed the arriving crowd to the evening’s gala and started the dancing. The first number was a circle dance, and Flynn and Bucky had no problem sitting on the sidelines while Sara and Rapunzel joined the townspeople. There was a line dance after that, but then the next number required each person to have a  
partner. Rapunzel came to grab Flynn, and as he left he gave Bucky a shrug.

Sara looked at Bucky, wondering if he would get up and dance, but then a village boy asked to be her partner, and she heartily accepted. For the next song, however, she was unable to find a partner, and stood on the sidelines on the far side of the square.

Bucky didn’t feel particularly well. The story Sara had told had definitely been his. He didn’t remember all of the events, but it made sense to him. Something weird was crawling up the inside of his right arm, a feeling like a tube or a catheter moving through his veins, but one made of light instead of metal.

The atmosphere of the party, the swishing skirts and stomping boots and clapping hands, how strange it was, to see people who could feel joy and happiness, who could move about any way they wanted. It made him almost wish he could, and he did wonder if he had, at one point or another in his life, been the type of person that people came running to instead of running away from…

It was a Saturday night in London. It would be some time before they were sent on their next mission. Steve and Bucky and the Howling Commandoes were out on the town, raiding one bar after another with their jolly banter and flirtatious behavior.

“I don’t see what your problem is,” Bucky said to Steve as they walked along the street. “You’ve gotta teach yourself to dance. This war will be over before we know it but she might not be waiting for you.”

“You don’t know that,” said Steve.

“You should at least practice,” said Bucky. “Finally tall enough to get a girl to notice you but you still might trip on her feet? Got nothing going for you, pal.”

“I’m not worried about that,” said Steve.

Bucky stepped in front of him. “Steve, look at me in the eyes. Do you even care about her?”

Steve looked away.

“Now, that’s not important--”

“Be honest with me.”

“I don’t know,” Steve blurted. “I don’t know how I feel about her right now. I’ve had other things to worry about.”

“Not enough to not keep that picture of her in your compass, let me see it--”

“No,” Steve twisted his hand away. 

“Steve, buddy,” said Bucky, “You’ll never know unless you try. You’ve gotta ask her to dance sometime or else she won’t give you the chance.”

“I will, I will,” Steve assured him.

“You’re just shy,” Bucky said. 

“I am not.”

“If you don’t ask Peggy now, aren’t you going to let one of these other girls dance with you?”

“I’m not interested in dancing with them.” They entered a crowded dance hall where most of the men were in uniform.

“Buddy, come on! If you don’t want to trip over Peggy--”

“Then I don’t need to trip over anyone else.”

“Do you know how many of these young British girls are so excited to dance with Captain America? Do you know what they’d give, to dance with you?”

“You know I’ve already gotten enough of that from the girls back home.”

“They’ll be more than forgiving of your lack of dance skills.”

“Well, then why don’t you go enjoy their more than appreciation of the abundance of yours?” He gave Bucky a shove. 

“Suit yourself,” said Bucky, straightening his tie and hat.

Two girls on the far side of the dance hall were eyeing the two dashing young American officers who had just entered. One of them escaped from being joshed by his friend, and  
turned to talk to a fellow serviceman and watch.

“Sorry about that, ladies,” said the other one as he approached, tipping his cap to them. “My friend gets a little shy in this much female company. He’s never had much luck with  
the ladies. Now, which one of you would like a dance?”

The band began to play a fast number, and Bucky took one of the two girls onto the floor and pretty much swept her off her feet.

 

He was tapping his foot in time to some long-forgotten song when he saw that a line dance had started in the square. He couldn’t hold still anymore. As the end of one of the lines passed in front of him, he took the waiting hand of a lady at the end and began to step with them. Of course, he was a bit clumsy, not knowing the traditional dances of this kingdom, but the movement put air in his lungs and a smile on his face. This setting felt familiar, almost comfortable. Whether he was in the big-band ballroom of his memory or on the open city square of the present, he could not tell. 

He caught a glimpse of Sara as the song ended. For all she was just as much a foreigner here as he was, she stepped lightly and kept pace with the other dancers. She bowed to  
her fellows, and she looked up and saw him.

“And where did you learn to dance like that?” he asked her, folding his arms.

“I studied folk dance in college, thank you very much,” said Sara, folding her arms. “And where did you learn to dance?”

“I guess it’s intuition,” said Bucky.

Sara was taking a break and they walked together off the dance space.

“How are you feeling now? Do you feel like you can remember better who you are?”

“I guess I feel a little different,” he said.

“Right,” Sara said. “A little. Like you suddenly decided to join the party for no reason.”

“Yeah.”

They stopped near the rickety piano where the hook-handed thug was playing. 

That was when Bucky noticed the thugs for the first time. They were a little more shabbily dressed than the rest of the crowd and not as pleasant in appearance. Some of them  
wore bits of armor over their tattered clothes, others wore whole animal pelts on their backs in spite of the heat of the afternoon. The one playing the piano had only one hand, but he could rub his hook against the keys better than some people could with two, perhaps.

Bucky had his gloved hand on his chin as he watched the thug. Then he realized that perhaps his metal arm wouldn’t be so out-of place in this crowd.

“Wait here,” he said to Sara. He returned to their table and discarded his gloves. Then he rolled up his sleeves. He felt naked with so much of the metal arm exposed, but he  
didn’t care anymore: he just wanted to have a good time.

He returned to Sara. Sara gaped at him, but before she could speak they were dancing. They changed partners several times, and Bucky even did a turn with Rapunzel, but none  
of the other women in the crowd looked twice at the metal arm. Or at least he didn’t notice.

The end of the dance involved the men raising the ladies high into the air, and when the last note had sounded Sara dropped onto his shoulder and hugged him. He was happy,  
and she was happy that he was happy.

They danced until their feet were sore, and then about six-fifteen Bucky and Sara went to find a food vendor. They got some chicken legs drenched in sauce and some bread.  
When they sat down to eat, Flynn and Rapunzel came to join them with their own meals.

“And here I thought you said you didn’t dance,” said Flynn. 

“You said you didn’t either,” Bucky said, tearing off a bite of his drumstick.

Sara laughed. “Bucky, you barbarian, you’ve got sauce all over your face, use a napkin.”

“Here,” said Rapunzel, handing him a handkerchief.

Flynn and Rapunzel told them stories about other dances they had been to throughout the kingdom. 

Spying a clock tower on the square, Bucky said, “Well, it’s about time we were going. It sure was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh,” said Rapunzel. She and Flynn stood up and they both hugged him warmly. They also gave some hugs to Sara. Flynn also returned the gloves to Bucky.

“Have a safe voyage,” Rapunzel said.

“You two take care!” Sara waved back as she and Bucky left the square.

 

The Sea Eagle

“I still find it hard to believe you did such a good job dancing back there,” said Sara as they approached the wharf. “What’s your secret?”

“I dunno,” said Bucky, shrugging, “I guess I suddenly remembered how to.”

“Come on, just tell me!” said Sara, brushing him on the arm.

“I don’t need to tell you anything!” he said, brushing her back. Sara laughed. He made a move to grab her, and she ran up the wharf and hid behind a stack of crates.

Bucky wandered around, looking up and down at the surroundings and pretending he couldn’t hear her giggle.

“Well, I guess Sara isn’t hiding anywhere around here, but maybe if I look under this barrel--” He picked up an empty barrel. He heard Sara give a quiet snort of laughter and he  
turned around to peek behind the crates.

“Aha! Found you!”

Sara laughed. He gave her a hand to help her to her feet, and she straightened her skirt.

“So where is this ship we’re going on?” she asked him.

Bucky looked around at the ships on the quay. “That one,” he said, pointing to a four-masted rig closest to them. “Come on.”

The ship was called the Sea Eagle and had the figurehead of a woman holding a bird on her hand. They found the captain on the quay and he allowed them to board. The first mate showed them their quarters, which were a pair of comfortable cabins in the brig. The other passengers in the ship were already on board and greeted them warmly. At sunset, the Sea Eagle cast off from the dock and headed up the mouth of the wide river where Corona’s capital sat. Sara watched from the stern of the ship the spires of the castle shrinking in the distance, and the world became dark as the shore yawned open entirely and they reached the sea. 

Bucky passed the time befriending the other passengers, telling them he was a traveler seeking a cure for his strange sickness from a special doctor in Arendelle. Some of the native Arendelle folk pressed him with their recommendations of doctors but he knew they meant well. Then as some of the passengers were going to bed, he realized Sara had not returned to her cabin and went to look for her. She was still on the port-side railing, watching the sea. Torches illuminated the deck with a gentle glow of pale yellow. 

“There you are,” he said. “Not the first time you’ve gotten lost on me today.”

“Mm-hm,” Sara nodded.

“So what are you doing up here?” he asked her.

“Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About what I want to do with my life, when we get back. You see, I was working for S.H.I.E.L.D., but after all that happened this year they’ve decided to fire me. So now I don’t  
know what to do with myself. I didn’t anticipate being single at this phase of my life, I just wanted to get my degree and get married as fast as I could. But now I’m on my own,”  
she said, tracing the grain of the wooden railing with her fingers, “and it seems like I might not be getting what I want any time soon.”

“Well, what are you going to do, then?” He had no idea what he wanted to do with his life or whether he’d done anything with it before.

“I don’t know,” said Sara. “I have some options. I think I should probably go back to school. A degree in psychology isn’t any good unless you’re using it, but you can’t be a therapist or anything unless you’ve at least got a master’s. I’ve only got a bachelors. But maybe I don’t want to do psychology anymore. Maybe I’ll go back to school and get a degree in education, be a teacher, that’s what my mom’s always insisted I should be doing.”

“But why don’t you?”

“Because I don’t want to be a teacher. I don’t like teaching people. Not professionally. It sounds like such a mundane job, it would get boring, teaching the same lessons year  
after year. I feel like I’m cut out for more in my life.”

“Like what?”

“Like...I don’t know, helping people fix their problems. Fighting crime, solving mysteries. I got a good background in forensics and stuff when I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., I could  
probably qualify to go to school to learn more, maybe get a job in that field. But just the thought of going back to school period, it’s terrifying. It costs a lot of money to get an education that’ll prepare you to do anything, and I don’t know where it’ll come from. I guess could take out a student loan, but it could take me years to pay it off, and there’s no saying I’d be able to get a job in my field once I’ve finished my degree. So anyway, my plan for the short-term was to get a job in the city where I found you and start saving up money. I already have a car so I guess I can go places. It’s just, I don’t know where I’m going.” She looked at a shooting star that was flying close to the horizon. “So what about you? Do you know what you’re going to do with yourself yet?”

“Um, no, I don’t know,” said Bucky, turning around and folding his arms. 

Sara did the same. “Any idea how soon you’ll be able to remember yourself?”

“I don’t have any,” said Bucky, “though it might be soon. Maybe sooner than you think. But it might take awhile.”

“And as soon as that happens, what will you do?”

“Well, I don’t think I want to go back to Captain America. Or let him find me.”

“Why not?” 

“Because it doesn’t feel like something I’d want to do. I don’t know what he wants with me.”

“He wants to be friends with you, like you were in the past.”

“Well, I don’t know if that’s a friendship worth going back to.”

Sara didn’t have anything to say to that, so they were both silent for a minute. “Do you think you’ll settle down somewhere?”

“Settle down?”

“Yeah, like, you know, get a job, work for some people, buy a house and a car, get some friends, maybe even start a family? Stuff that typical people do.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said Bucky. “It might be too soon to plan on that happening. People aren’t exactly going to want to be friends with guys with metal arms.”

“It takes time to earn trust with people,” said Sara. “You’ll get there. You’ve just gotta let them earn your trust. And you saw those thugs in the square today, right? That hook-handed guy, he’s making a living as a musician now. He’s doing quite well. He doesn’t let his disfigurement bother him.”

“Well, unless I can go back to Corona and stay there, which I don’t think you’ll let me,” said Bucky, “I’m afraid my disfigurements aren’t the kind that people will be getting used to  
by the time we get back. You know, maybe I shouldn’t go back,” he declared. “There’s other places we’ve been to where people with metal arms are a lot more accepted. Why should I stay someplace where I haven’t got that chance?”

“No,” Sara pleaded, “don’t talk like that. You only need to find a reason for staying in your own world. There are people who love you unconditionally there. They would take you,  
they would welcome you back.”

“But aside from Captain America, who are they?” Bucky dared her. “Come on, we both know I can’t go back to him. Not yet. Besides, Hydra will come after me. They’ll either take me or finish me off. I think they’ve had enough trouble from their precious asset.”

“But is there anyone else?” Sara asked.

“No there--isn’t,” Bucky blurted but then stopped.

“Is there?”

He hesitated. Then he stepped away and said. “No, there isn’t.”

“Could there be?”

“It’s nothing you need to know about,” he said finally.

Sara hoped he wasn’t upset with her. “Please, Bucky, you can tell me,” she said, looking at his back. “You can trust me. I’m your friend.”

He looked at her over his shoulder. “You are my friend?”

“Yes.”

“Can I trust you to keep a secret, then?”

“You may.”

“Well, have a seat,” he said, indicating a bench not far from where they were standing. “You know that Emily Bridger girl found out I’d been in Denver, right?”

“Right,” said Sara.

“Well,” Bucky gulped, “when I was there, I stayed at this homeless shelter. There was this girl who worked there. She wasn’t much older than you. She...thought the same way  
you did, even, that maybe she could help me.” He broke off.

“Yes, go on.”

“Well, time passed. I wasn’t quite as far out of my shell as I am now, but she...I guess she was trying to pry me open. I didn’t tell her anything. I just let her hang around with me.  
She liked it. I guess I didn’t want to disappoint her by sending her away, you know. And she was...kind to me, she entertained me, she had a life and a purpose and everything I  
never could hope to have, and I liked having that kind of a person near me. But then, one night, she’d won two tickets to a fair in a charity raffle and she asked me on a date. I went. And we...we got close.”

“How close?” 

Bucky swallowed. He looked out at the sea.

Sara pulled his face back to make him look at her. “Did you kiss her, by any chance?”

“A….big...wet one. Several.”

“You...liked her?”

“I didn’t know,” said Bucky. “I was confused. I...didn’t remember what to call those feelings at the time. We just, got carried away, maybe.”

“Maybe,” Sara snorted. “So what happened?”

“Well...you saw what Hydra did at the mall, what they were trying to do to us,” Bucky sounded serious. “You know what might’ve happened back there. Grace--that was her  
name--Grace was a nice girl, I really didn’t want to hurt her, or to let her get hurt, because of me...the day after we’d gone to the fair, I left.”

“You left?” Sara said, sounding disgusted.

“I just gave you my reasons.”

“They were good reasons, but I don’t think you had any right to just snog her like that and then leave her!”

“I didn’t know what else to do,” he said. “If she’d gotten hurt because of me--”

“She’s probably hurt that you left her, darn you, Bucky!” She stood up from the bench. 

“Well, if you’d been in my situation, you’d understand, I guess,” Bucky said, slouching over on the bench.

“You heartless scumbag,” she said to him. “I guess you do remember your old personality, after all. You love a woman and then you leave her.”

“Is that true?” Bucky asked. It was hard to tell in the light, but he seemed afraid. He stood up to look Sara in the eyes. 

“Steve Rogers described on you Facebook as ‘quite the ladies’ man’,” said Sara bitterly.

“Well, I consider you a friend too, Sara,” said Bucky bitterly. “I don’t have any feelings for you. So trust me when I say I’d never do that to you.”

“Good to know,” Sara answered him, an edge in her voice. 

He shook his head. “Oh, Sara, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to come across like that.”

“It’s all right,” she said. “I think we’re both getting tired, so it’s quite understandable. I’m going to bed. Good night, Sergeant Barnes.”

“Good night,” he said as she walked past him in a huff.

But as she was about to enter the hold, she stopped. Maybe what she had said to him wasn’t very nice. She turned around but saw him staring out to sea. She didn’t quite have  
the nerve to apologize to him yet.

She removed her Glamour as she sat down on her bed. The green day dress disappeared, much to her sorrow, and she was back in her borrowed nightgown. She put the stone on the bedside table, said her prayers with an extra plea to be forgiven for her rudeness to her friend, and went to sleep.

It took some getting used to, the rocking back and forth of the ship on the ocean, but she fell asleep soon enough. When she awoke the next morning, the sun was shining. She washed her face in the washstand available in the room. Then she replaced her Glamour. This dress was different. The skirt was longer, midway down her calf, and she had boots instead of flats. She wore a high-necked, long-sleeved white blouse under a loose bodice that laced up the front. It was an all-right outfit. She supposed it would blend in better when they reached Arendelle but for now she wondered if she would need such heavy clothing for the voyage.

Steeling herself to make her apology, she went into the hall and knocked on the door of Bucky’s cabin.

He opened. His Glamour hadn’t changed except for the shirt he wore under his vest, which was a heavier material now.

“Hi,” said Sara awkwardly, “I-I just wanted to say I’m sorry for some of the things I said last night.”

“Okay?”

“I thought about it and I realized, you know what, you were scared and didn’t know how to handle having a girl interested in you, so you were just trying to deal with the situation  
and it didn’t work out. I should have been more understanding.”

“No, it’s all right,” said Bucky. “And I would like to say that I’m sorry if any of the things I said to you last night were kind of rude.”

“That’s okay,” said Sara. “We can go on, now. We’re going to be on this boat for a few days, so we should try to get along.”

“Right,” said Bucky, tucking in his shirt under his vest. “So do you know what they do for breakfast on these sailing ships?”  
“I don’t know, but let’s go check the galley.” 

They went to the galley for a porridge breakfast. Then Sara returned to her room to say fix her hair, deciding to french braid it into a bun that ended on the side of her head. One  
of the ladies on board gave her a pretty black ribbon to tie over her head like a headband. 

During the day she ended up unbuttoning her collar and rolling up her sleeves to enjoy the fresh sea air. She did fall seasick, unfortunately, right before lunch and spent the  
better part of the afternoon in her cabin. 

Bucky spent the afternoon gambling with the sailors, but Sara was rather grumpy when she caught him right before dinner, thankfully before he had lost too much of his money. 

“Where did you learn to play cards, anyhow?” she asked him.

“Dunno, must be something I’ve learned before.”

So Sara taught him some games to play with face cards that didn’t involve betting money, and they would pass the next two days of the voyage playing these and other games  
with their fellow passengers, and also strolling on the deck in the sunshine making small talk. The weather for the voyage to Arendelle could not have been better.

When the other passengers asked Bucky what had happened to his arm, he told them he had sold his soul for it, and he was on his way to Arendelle to get it back. 

“So who is this Queen we are going to visit?” Bucky asked Sara the second afternoon of the voyage.

“Well, she’s no ordinary queen,” Sara prefaced.

“I’ve gathered as much.”

“Well, she has ice powers,” she said, deciding to get directly to the point. “She can make ice and snow out of thin air and freeze anything. And, recently, I take it, she learned to  
thaw things, too. The Loremaster said you have a frozen heart. And you’ve got a frozen brain, too, we’ve found out.”

“Funny, it feels just fine to me.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got just enough in there that it’s making remembering things an issue. Or at least it’s part of the problem.”

“Fair enough. So how is she going to thaw me?”

“Dunno. She might suck it out of you. Not sure what it looks like. Maybe it won’t be physically digging into you like Mira Nova did, but it could be, I don’t know.”

“Uh-huh. So how do you know about this?”

Sara started telling him the story of Queen Elsa and her sister Anna. Some of the passengers who came by stopped to listen to her, and a man who said he was from Arendelle  
added a few details to the story that Sara wouldn’t have heard about otherwise, mostly about the ordeal of a two-day winter in the middle of summer. 

When Sara described what had happened, particularly the incident with Anna’s frozen heart, Bucky didn’t say much in response, he just held his chin thoughtfully and nodded.

“I probably shouldn’t have told you all that,” said Sara. “You’ve probably had worse dealings with ice than Anna or even Elsa have had to put up with.”

“No, it’s okay,” said Bucky quietly. “You’re just trying to help.”

Sara thought she saw maybe a bit of the shy, quiet vagrant coming back.

“Well, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“That’s okay.”

Sara changed the subject to wondering aloud about what Arendelle was like. The same gentleman came back to chat with them. They asked him a few more details about the  
queen and what Arendelle was like with her on the throne. 

The moon was full that night, and in spite of the chilly breeze, the passengers and crew took their ease on the deck. Some people got out instruments and people started  
dancing. Bucky and Sara joined in and had a good time. Sara got to teach or rather re-teach Bucky the waltz. 

When they were talking on the deck later that night, Sara told him a funny story. It was when Bucky was laughing at it that he caught her gazing at him with the strangest expression.

“What?” he said, annoyed.

“Nothing, it’s just...you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I...it’s just...you. You were the Winter Soldier. You didn’t get to experience any of this. And now you’re smiling and laughing again, and you can dance and sing and have  
a good time like any other person. It’s just wonderful to see that.”

“Oh,” said Bucky, looking away from her. “Well...don’t get too used to it.” 

“Why not?”

“We’re not going to be together that much longer.”

“It’s only two more days until Arendelle. We’ve got all the time in the world.”

Two nights later, Bucky had nightmares about being recaptured by Hydra and them trying to wipe him and freeze him. He awoke without really wanting to go back to sleep. Then he noticed something strange out of his porthole. It was a green light in the sky, shaped like a ribbon or a snake, and it danced and shimmered like a mirage.

He went on the deck for a better look. Then he went to find Sara. He knocked on her door before opening it.

“Sara! You’ve got to see this!” he called to her, hoping he didn’t wake the other passengers by accident.

“Go away, it’s cold!” she moaned, burying herself in the comforter.

“But, Sara! You won’t believe how beautiful it is! it’s this weird thing in the sky that glows and dances! You might not get another chance to see it!”

Sara sat up. “Is it the Northern lights?”

“The what?”

“Gimme a sec,” she said. She wrapped herself in her blanket and sat up. She followed Bucky into the hall, her feet clomping awkwardly in the dark. 

“Whoa,” she said as soon as she could see the sky through the entrance to the hold. Slowly she emerged onto the deck, wide-awake but her eyes glued to the sky with wonder.  
Bucky took her hand in case she might trip and fall if she missed a step. 

They walked to the port-side railing and looked out over the sea. Behind them, snow-capped mountains rose spectacularly out of the ocean. The northern lights glowed and danced, silent and majestic. 

“So they’re called the Northern Lights?” Bucky asked.

Sara nodded. “I’ve always wanted to see them. Thanks for getting me up.”

“No problem,” Bucky replied, just as mesmerized by the sight.

After watching the lights dance for a short while, they both returned to their cabins. Bucky was able to doze off peacefully.

 

Arendelle

When they awoke in the morning, the Sea Eagle had entered a fjord lined with steep mountains. While the other passengers bustled about packing and the sailors kept busy on deck, Sara and Bucky strolled around to watch the other boats and ships passing back and forth in the fjord. The Arendellers commented that it was good to see that amount of traffic on their seaway.

Just before noon, Arendelle’s port came into view at the end of the fjord, the spires of the palace climbing like the North Mountain that rose behind it.

“It’s even more beautiful in person,” Sara commented. Her eyes could not take in enough of it.

The Sea Eagle sailed past the palace and into the harbor. The bustling, colorful town on the far side of the dock teemed with people and noises. 

“Oh my goodness,” Sara breathed. They were the first passengers off the ship, with an older couple they were helping to take their baggage off.

“And it looks like the gates are open today,” Sara observed when she looked towards the palace. “You ready to go in?”

“Er, how about we get some lunch first?” Bucky suggested.

“Sounds great to me,” said Sara. They found a tavern and bought themselves a large lunch, though Sara commented that they might’ve gotten dessert if Bucky hadn’t gambled  
away some of their money earlier in the week.

When they crossed the causeway to the main gates, Sara inquired of one of the guards standing there if Queen Elsa was receiving visitors that day.

“Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are preparing for a ball this evening,” the guard informed them. “You can try to find them, I’m sure they’d be happy to meet with you if they’re not  
too busy.”

Sara thanked the guard.

“Sounds like we’ve got as good a chance of seeing them as not,” said Bucky.

“Fifty-fifty,” said Sara. “Either we do or we don’t. But we got in with Rapunzel, didn’t we? We shouldn’t have a hard time of it.”

They crossed the courtyard into the front hall of the palace. There were servants running back and forth everywhere, dusting, arranging furniture, setting up floral arrangements  
and other decorations. They walked into the great hall to look around at the preparations. 

“Might I inquire as to the occasion of the ball tonight?” she asked one of the servants.

“Queen Elsa is hosting the prince and ambassador from such-and-such kingdom,” said the female servant. “But frankly this development isn’t very important. She’s taking a  
liking to throwing parties for the slightest reason. Anything to keep us busy, I guess.”

“Really?” Sara looked at Bucky. “Is there any way we could garner a last-minute invitation?”

“It is open to the public,” said the servant, “though not everybody comes to these things since they’ve become more frequent.”

“I see,” said Sara. And where is the Queen now?” 

A short, portly manservant came running up. “Queen Elsa’s gone and frozen the floral arrangements upstairs again,” he announced, holding up a flowerpot encased in a solid  
block of ice.

Sara felt Bucky’s hand shake a little in hers.

“Ah, poor dear. Well, it’s not a terrible matter. We just need to invent a de-icer or something for whenever she’s not around. She’s still getting used to controlling her powers,”  
she explained to her visitors.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate. But we’ve got a bit of an ice-ey problem ourselves,” said Sara, “and we were just hoping maybe she’d help.”

“Well, her majesty is around the palace somewhere,” said the female servant. “Mayhap you could follow the trail of ice to the second floor.”

“We’ll do that,” said Sara. “Thanks.”

They left the two servants to discuss the ice problem.

“Are you okay?” she asked her friend.

“I’m fine,” said Bucky. But while Sara kept her eyes straight ahead, Bucky was looking around nervously. There were little pieces of ice everywhere he looked. A little patch on the  
floor, some icicles hanging from the window, a chair covered in frost. Up one of the staircases they went, there was an icy patch that ran the entire length of the banister.

“Looks like Elsa’s been sliding down the stairs,” Sara commented. She expected Bucky to laugh, but saw him a little squeamish at the sight.

“What?” she asked him. “Didn’t you ever slide down the stairs as a kid?”

“No.” That really meant ‘I don’t know.’

“Really? It’s something I thought Bucky Barnes might have done. Just sayin’. Hope he didn’t injure Steve in the process.”

They kept walking, reaching the top of the stairs to find a furnished gallery.

Sara turned to face him. “Look, Elsa’s not gonna freeze you solid like Hydra did.”

“I know,” Bucky said, sounding like he was pretty sure she would.

“Well, you don’t have to be so nervous--oh!” Sara glimpsed something through a doorway. “It’s the portrait gallery! Look!” Sara let go of his hand and wandered into a large  
room with walls lined in enormous paintings.

She wandered to the far side of the room, leaving him to watch her in the doorway.

“Oh, my goodness, these are the exact same ones from the movie!” she said, running up to a large painting to admire it. She observed the pose of one of the painted figures and  
then mimicked it. “How do I look?”

Bucky shrugged. “Very, uh, interesting.”

“I should’ve guessed you probably wouldn’t get the reference,” Sara sighed. She found another painting to pose in front of, standing on top of a couch to pretend to be a woman at a country dance. “I suppose you probably can’t see it very well from over there, now can you, Bucky? Bucky?”

Bucky was no longer in the doorway.

She heard glass shattering.

She ran out of the room. She looked up and down the furnished hall. Then she noticed the movement of the air against her face and realized the window was open. There was shattered glass all over the floor. 

Leaning through the broken window, she looked across the palace grounds but could not see him.

“Oh no,” Sara muttered. She should have been more careful. 

“Hi there!” said a cheery voice behind her. Sara jumped. 

It was a snowman with a short, squat body and a long head and a crooked carrot nose. He also had a little cloud floating over his head that rained snowflakes on him.

“Did I scare you?” he asked.

“Yes, I mean, no, I mean, you’re not scary, you just surprised me,” Sara bumbled. “My name is Sara, how do you do?”

“Pleasure to meet you,” the snowman said, bowing. “I’m Olaf, and I like warm hugs.”

“Well, Olaf, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Sara, “but I am afraid I have a friend in very desperate need of a warm hug right now--”

“Uh-huh,” Olaf said eagerly, stepping up to Sara.

“--but maybe not from a snowman.”

“Is that the guy who jumped out of the window?”

“You saw him?”

“Yeah. I guess if I’d known he wanted to go outside I might have shown him to the door.”

“Right. Well, perhaps if you could tell me where to find the Queen.”

“Queen Elsa herself sent me to find you,” said Olaf. “She was in the cellars but now she’s in the great hall. The head servants came and told us you were looking for us, along with  
a friend.”

“Will you take me to her?” said Sara.

“Of course. Just follow me.”

Olaf waddled on his squat legs down the hall to the staircase, his personal flurry never leaving any damp or cold on the floor and carpet behind him but constantly replenishing his little snowy shape. When he reached the banister, he said, “Right this way,” and climbed on it to slide down. Sara thought she might as well walk, but then she realized, when would she ever get the chance to slide down a staircase again?

She lifted her legs over the iced-over railing and sat down the way one would sit on a horse. As soon as she let go, her body began sliding backward down the stairs, and she gave a whoop and a laugh of delight. But it was just before she reached the bottom that she realized she didn’t know how to stop.

And then, when her body left the banister, her back was met with a pile of soft, dry snow. She slid backward and landed softly as she would if leaning into a bean-bag chair. She thought that her cushion had materialized out of nowhere, but when she looked up she realized that of course it was Queen Elsa of Arendelle herself who had stopped her fall.

“Thanks,” Sara greeted her benefactor.

“Not a problem.” Elsa wore her gown of shimmering blue ice with its lace train. She looked like any other person would, but her pale hair and the white tinge of her skin showed she was a creature of no ordinary bearing.

Sara stood. “I’m Sara. Have you seen my friend Bucky?”

“Has he gone off somewhere?” asked Elsa.

“I think he may have broken one of your upstairs windows and gone outside,” said Sara. “Something must have spooked him.”

“Does he startle easily?”

“I guess. He has been doing better of late, but I’ve come to see your highness on the urgent matter of his--”

Sara was cut short on the noise of entry and laughter by a young couple from the ballroom. It was Kristoff and Anna. Anna wore her blue day dress, Kristoff a pale blue button-  
down tunic, and he was carrying his lute.

“There you are, Elsa!” said Anna. “I was beginning to wonder. Olaf, did you find our guests?”

“Well, here’s one of them,” Olaf said, gesturing his stick hand at Sara. “But I guess the other one must not have wanted to see you very badly, he seems to have run off.”

“Stop it,” said Sara.

“Olaf, you don’t have to tease like that,” Anna chided him. “Where is he, then?”

“He must have run out into the garden,” said Elsa.

“He jumped out one of the upstairs windows,” said Sara.

“Well, he’s not the first person to have thought of that,” said Anna.

“I mean, he broke the window.”

“Oh.”

“Guy needed some more alone time, did he?” Kristoff asked.

“I guess,” said Sara. “Can you help me find him?”

“Yes, right away,” said Queen Elsa. She and Olaf led the group down the hall through a side door. Kristoff and Anna acquainted themselves with Sara while they moved. When  
they reached the outdoors, Kristoff called to his reindeer, Sven, who was grazing on some grass in a corner of the walled garden. He came panting and smiling like a dog. Sara had thought in person he would behave more like a reindeer.

In that corner of the palace garden that was receiving the most sunshine, there was a little knoll covered with tall grass, tall enough that if a person crouched in the middle of it, they would be completely hidden from view.

Bucky had no instinct to savor the fresh air or to spread himself out in the sunshine. Hiding was what he was good at, so he had found a place to hide and made himself as small as possible. With his face bent over his arms and knees, it was dark inside but warm outside. 

He didn’t want to go back into the cold, now that he knew what it meant to be caught inside of it. Inside the palace there had been too much of it. What sort of a terrible creature was this, who could freeze things at will without the aided terror of machines and temperature gauges?

The cold made him feel empty. It made him hollow and dark inside. But the warmth that had been trying to replace it in the past days was strange--it did things to his inside that made him nervous and upset. He felt weakened, not that he wanted to be the strong, terrible assassin he once had been, but he longed to be something that could just crumple under the weight of his despair and wither away, because whatever held him up against it was only out to hurt him.

He had hated this trip from the outset. Every new encounter, every discovery made him more tormented and more insecure. The memories he was discovering did not tie themselves together, they were pieces strewn at random without meaning. And now the ice, the reminder of his former life, frightened him so much that it was all he could do to keep from running away back to the docks and find the first ship leaving this horrible, cold place. 

He covered his face with his hands and just breathed. It felt a little like the mask he had once worn. Without a face he had no identity, no being, just kill and carry out orders back then, and now, just the sound of his own breathing. 

And now what could he be? Killing and fighting were the only things he was good at. He didn’t have any other skills he could think of.

Perhaps this Queen of Arendelle would no longer want to see him after he had smashed her window. Or perhaps in her anger she would think everyone would be better off if he was just a solid block of ice and stayed that way forever.

No one accepted him. No one loved him. And Captain America was deluded. There was no way he could be the person everyone said he remembered.

He was beginning to remember what seemed to be a past life from before he had served Hydra, but they were like daydreams, fancies that sprang up unbidden. Maybe some of the treatments he had encountered on this trip had triggered them. They didn’t seem like a part of him. They were someone else’s past. that other person was clean and handsome and accepted and loved. He was none of these.

He heard a sound coming from elsewhere in the garden. They were calling his name, or at least the name he had given them. Why, oh why, did he let people call him that?

“Bucky!” that was Sara calling for him. “Bucky, where are you?”

“Bucky!” sounded a male voice.

“Where could he be?” came a woman’s voice.

He heard a snorting like that of an animal.

He heard another man talking, and then laughter. Then there were footsteps in the grass behind him, coming up the knoll to the patch of tall grass. 

There was more of the animal sound, and then a long, wet, hairy nose poked into the grass and snorted and sniffed at him. Bucky remained absolutely still.

“What’ve you got there, Sven?” said one of the male voices.

The animal grunted and snorted happily.

He heard an excited gasp. “Is someone hiding in there? Is he playing hide-and-go-seek?” Someone short leaned over into the grass, a little white creature with a strange orange nose. It was the snow-creature that had frightened him earlier. “I see you!”

Bucky punched the little creature’s head off, and it literally came off, flying a few yards and down the knoll and rolling on the grass.

“Whew, that guy can sure pack a punch!” said the creature’s head. He wasn’t sure what had happened to the body, but he wasn’t going to peek through to find out.

“Bucky, be nice!” said Sara. She was standing over him now. “I’m really sorry about this,” she said to the other people who had followed her. “This is the worst I’ve seen him.  
We’ve been together about a week, trying to get him places where we could help him.” She turned to address him. “Oh, oh, Bucky! I’m so sorry!” she said, kneeling next to the tall stalks. “I should’ve realized you’d be afraid to come here. I almost forgot, I mean, I know what they’ve put you through, it’s just I didn’t connect the two. Oh, I hope you’ll  
forgive me. Nobody’s going to hurt you here, I promise. Won’t you come out, now?”

There was no reply.

“Wouldn’t you feel better if you came out, so Queen Elsa can get the ice out of your frozen brain and heart?”

He shook his head, and the stand of grass shook with him.

Anna and Kristoff laughed out loud, while Elsa graciously suppressed a giggle. 

“Hey, guys, any luck getting him out of there?” Olaf came waddling up. His body had fallen down the hill after his head, and he came back with his parts all jumbled together. Everyone laughed. Even Sven gave a snort that sounded like a laugh, and he tried to help Olaf rearrange some of his parts.

“That’s better,” said Olaf, putting his head on straight. “Now where were we? Oh, yes, your friend won’t come out, now won’t he?”

“Olaf, please, try not to frighten him,” said Sara.

“Why would I?” asked Olaf. “I’m a fairly good-looking guy, aren’t I?”

“Yes, but, Bucky, you see, he has a frozen heart, and on top of that he’s afraid of ice.”

Elsa looked puzzled.

“How come?” asked Anna.

“Bucky was recruited to be an assassin by an evil organization called Hydra,” said Sara. “They brainwashed him and gave him a metal arm. And in-between assignments, when he  
wasn’t out killing people, they kept him frozen solid.”

Elsa gasped.

“Oh dear,” said Anna.

“That’s terrible,” said Kristoff. 

“And does he have the frozen heart left over from…?” Elsa began. 

Sara nodded. “And in his brain, too. We were thinking, it’s been really hard for him to remember who he is. But if we could fix that, and get the ice out of his body, then maybe it  
would help him feel better.”

“Indeed,” said Elsa.

“Worth a shot,” said Olaf.

“You got brainwashed too, once, didn’t you?” Elsa asked Anna.

“Well, it wasn’t brainwashing, exactly,” said Anna.

“Not remotely close to what he’s been through,” said Sara.

“Yes, well, anyway, the memories did come back to me after I got thawed out,” said Anna. “I see what you’re getting at. It could help him.” Sara noted that Anna no longer had a  
pale blond streak in her red hair.

“I can help pull him out, if you need me to,” Kristoff volunteered.

The grass shuddered, and Sven honked.

“What?” said Kristoff.

“I think I’d rather let Olaf deal with him,” said Sara. “he’s a little more expendable.”

“Expendable, me?” asked Olaf, walking around to the other side of the grass pile. “Now what does that mean--” He misstepped and tripped, catching his head as it rolled off.  
“Oh, that’s what you mean.”

“But if Bucky’s scared of ice,” said Anna, “I think it’s because people were using it to hurt him in the past. We’re just trying to help him.”

“Exactly,” said Sara. She turned to the grass pile again. “Bucky, please come out. We only want to help you. Elsa and Anna don’t want to hurt you. They know that snow and ice  
can be dangerous, but they also know that it’s beautiful and fun, and it can help people, too. Won’t you come out?”

The grass shook as Bucky sneezed.

“Ah, finally getting to you, is it?” said Sara. 

“What is?” asked Kristoff.

“The hay fever. I have it on good authority from an old friend of his that Bucky Barnes used to suffer from hay fever growing up. He grew out of it mostly in his adult years, and of course being a city boy he never suffered from it much. I’m surprised Dr. Zola’s experiments didn’t drive it out of you. Guess it was a failure after all.”

“Knock it off,” Bucky said, poking his head out of the grass. His long, tangled hair wasn’t much improved by the burrs and twigs in it.

The others cheered.

“Everyone, this is Bucky, Bucky, this is Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, and Queen Elsa.” She helped Bucky to stand up.

“How do you do?” Bucky said.

“A pleasure to meet you, Bucky,” Anna said, smiling at him. “Would you like to come back inside?”

“Sure,” said Bucky, smiling back.

“Hey, don’t you be flirtin’ with her,” said Kristoff, “she’s my girl.”

“I wasn’t flirting with her,” said Bucky. He looked at Elsa. “And are you the Snow Queen?”

“That’s what they’re calling me,” said Elsa.

“So how are you going to help me?”

“Well, if you’ve come to me with a frozen heart, I guess I’m going to thaw it.”

“How?” 

She wasn’t sure what to make of Bucky’s questioning expression.

“Well, er, why don’t we sit down?” said Elsa. “There’s a bench right over here.”

There was a small landscaped area just down the knoll from where they stood, right in the center of the garden. While the others led the way, Sara took Bucky by the arm. He  
looked at her. She looked right back at him and squeezed his hand. 

In the landscaped section there were three benches in a circle. Elsa sat on one. Kristoff and Anna sat on her left, holding hands. Sara and Bucky took the bench on her right, and also held hands, but it was more a gesture of encouragement for him than anything. Olaf and Sven sat on the edge of the circle and watched. 

“Now,” said Elsa, “we learned very recently that the way to thaw a frozen heart is through an act of true love. That led me to understand something I had spent my whole life trying to figure out: the secret to thaw magical ice. When my powers were discovered right after my coronation, I went ahead and froze the whole kingdom because I’d decided I’d had  
enough of keeping my powers hidden, but in the end doing that hurt a lot of people, including a few I cared about.” She nodded at Anna. “But once I’d discovered the secret, I realized that if I cared more about the needs of other people than myself--truly loving them--then I could remove the ice so it wouldn’t bother them.” She sighed. “I just wish Mother and Father had lived long enough to see me discover it.”

“I’m sure they are proud of you,” said Sara.

“Do you know our story already?” asked Kristoff.

“I do, yes,” said Sara. “I mean, of course the other places we have been to in your world, the other travelers are talking about it, but we know more than the average traveler would--don’t ask me to explain how.”

“Well, she does,” said Bucky.

“But the hard part is,” Elsa continued, “how do you perform an act of true love for someone you don’t even know? Last time I did it for the entire kingdom, and I grew up here. I’m their Queen. But you, you’re a foreigner,” she said to Bucky. “What kind of act of true love does one perform on a complete stranger?”

“Well, I don’t think a true love’s kiss would be effective in this situation,” said Sara.

Anna and Kristoff laughed. 

“Yeah, that would be kind of awkward,” Olaf commented dryly.

“Let’s not go there,” said Sara, patting Bucky’s metal hand.

“But how about Elsa doesn’t even have to touch him?” suggested Kristoff. “She could just feel love for him and draw the ice out of his heart with her magic.”

“Yeah, that was what I was thinking,” said Anna.

“And,” Kristoff continued, “we know from experience that true love is when you care about someone else more than you care about yourself. Suppose if Elsa cared more about  
herself, she wouldn’t want to help Bucky or anyone else who came to her with their problems. When you love someone, you’re willing to go out of your comfort zone for them.”  
He looked at Anna.

“Exactly,” Anna nodded. 

“How often do we forget,” Olaf soliloquized, “that there are many kinds of true love shared between different people. How often do we--hey, don’t bite my nose!” Olaf said, backing away from Sven, who was snapping at his carrot nose disgruntledly.

“I think that’s the signal you’ve been talking too much,” said Kristoff. 

“I knew that,” Olaf said, readjusting his nose.

“So anyway,” said Elsa, “I guess that’s how we do this.”

“And that is?” Bucky asked her.

“Well, I ‘love’ you in the sense that I have compassion and want to help you,” said Elsa. “And even though I don’t know you very well, I want you to be happy.”

“But then what will you do to me?”

“I’m going to draw the ice out of your heart and melt it.”

“And his brain, don’t forget his brain,” added Sara.  
“Right. Now hold still.”

Elsa held her hands out in front of her, very close together, and then she very slowly pulled them apart.

Bucky went rigid in his seat on the stone bench. Something, he felt, something heavy and dark, was being drawn out of his center, and it was dragging a lot of weight with it from  
other parts of his body, like an octopus drawing its tentacles together to climb into a narrow space. He felt an especially large something being pulled out of his head, down his skull and down and out with the rest of the matter from his heart. He squirmed with discomfort. Elsa begged for him to hold steady while Sara tried to keep him from moving too much. Kristoff looked ready to jump up at a moment’s notice. 

Bucky looked down at his chest and saw something materializing in the air, pulling further away from him and growing into a shape, a group of icy shards hovering together in a  
rough pattern but not crystalizing into a snowflake. It was dirty ice with a musty smell strong enough that everyone turned up their noses a bit. Sven the reindeer, however, took a good inhale and gave a bellow of fright. Kristoff dashed to Sven’s side and calmed him. Bucky, however, stared morbidly at the incarnation of his frozen chains until he felt the tension that had removed them withdraw from his body. He relaxed, panting. Sara was pretty sure he might be sick, but he managed to hold it in.

“There,” said Elsa, holding the dirty ice in midair for all to see. She dropped her hands and the ice dropped onto the grass, which melted rapidly in the late summer sunshine.

“Whoa,” Olaf said, his face a mixture of disgust and horror. “That’s evil ice, I’ve gotta tell you.”

“It’s not done yet,” said Anna, staring at the ground. Where the ice shards had melted, the green grass turned yellow and brown and withered before their eyes. Elsa, Sara, and  
Kristoff gave horrified gasps. Bucky just continued staring.

“It wasn’t you, Bucky,” Sara said to him right away. “It was Hydra she pulled out of you.”

“Pretty evil stuff,” Kristoff said, eyeing the brown patch.

“I wonder if we should even plant grass over that,” said Anna.

“Don’t worry. It’ll run out into the bay with the next winter’s snow,” said Elsa.

“Well, if that’s not coming soon enough for you, be my guest,” said Kristoff.

“So do you feel better now?” Sara asked Bucky. “Did it help?”

“I don’t know,” he said, sitting up slowly. “I just feel really weird, like she was probing me on the inside. I thought that Mira Nova chick was rough on me.”

“It’s all right now,” said Sara, rubbing his back. “It’s over.”

“So how long are you guys staying in Arendelle for?” asked Olaf.

“Well, we’ve got a ride to catch tonight, supposedly,” said Sara. “We haven’t heard from him yet, but I guess we will soon.”

“Well, you two are welcome to stay here as long as you have to,” said Elsa.

“We won’t be long, I don’t think,” said Sara.

“I’d just as soon get the heck out of here right now,” muttered Bucky.

“I know how you feel,” said Sara, wondering how she could possibly be saying that with any honesty. “But you’re not getting anywhere unless we show you the way out, so you’ll  
have to come with us for now.”

“That’s fine,” said Bucky, not sounding too enthusiastic.

Elsa rose, and so did they all. “I am busy getting ready for the ball tonight,” she said, “but we can try to keep you entertained in the meantime.”

“Oh, wouldn’t you guys like to come to the ball?” asked Anna.

“Of course,” said Sara eagerly, “I mean, if we’re still around here. Bucky’s been re-learning how to dance, isn’t that right?”

“I guess,” said Bucky.

“Are you sure you’re all right, Bucky?” asked Anna.

“I’m fine, I just...feel terrible,” said Bucky.

“Do you remember anything now?” Elsa inquired. “About your past?”

Bucky rubbed his head. “No. I just feel so...empty. That’s how it was before, but it’s just different now.”

“Maybe in a few minutes we’ll see some of the effects,” said Sara, patting him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go inside and find something to do.”

“Hey, maybe you guys could go back to playing hide-and-go-seek, if that’s what you were doing earlier,” Olaf suggested.

“No it wasn’t,” said Bucky, though he hadn’t the foggiest what hide-and-go-seek was.

“Or we could play sardines inside,” said Sara. “I can be it. I love being ‘it.’”

“Go on,” said Anna eagerly. 

“See if you can catch me!” Sara shouted after herself as she ran ahead to the back door of the palace.

“Let’s split up,” said Anna. “Kristoff and I will take the east side of the first floor, Elsa you can do the west--”

“Actually, I was wanting to go tie up Sven,” said Kristoff.

“Go do that, then,” said Anna, hugging him. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’ll catch up with us later, won’t you?”

“Sure I will,” said Kristoff.

Sven snorted.

“Oh, I mean, yes, I’ll be right back.”

Kristoff and Sven took off the other way.

“So that leaves the four of us,” said Anna as they entered the hall of the palace. “How about you and I take the first floor, Elsa, and check up on the preparations for tonight while  
we’re at it, and you and Olaf can take the second floor. How does that sound, Bucky?”

“Wait, what?” Bucky said. “With him?”

“I’ll look after him,” said Olaf eagerly. “No problem!”

“Let us know if you find her first,” said Anna and Elsa as they ran down the hallway, giggling.

“I wouldn’t have minded going with them,” Bucky said aloud, hoping Olaf didn’t catch what he really meant by that.

“It’s all right,” said Olaf. “Now I have a chance to get to know you, and won’t that be fun?” Olaf looked up at Bucky adoringly.

“Puh-lease,” said Bucky, starting up the back staircase.

“So remind me of your name again?” Olaf began, following Bucky up the steps.

“Bucky.”

“And what is that short for?”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on, it’s got to be short for something, people just don’t go around giving their babies funny names like Toothpick and Sparky.”

“Well, really, I don’t know my real name, so I just let everyone call me Bucky because they’re too pigheaded to call me anything else.”

“Well, that’s a shame,” said Olaf. They reached the top of the staircase, and Olaf scooted ahead of Bucky down the hall.

“Olaf?” Bucky wasn’t sure he remembered the name right.

“Uh-huh?” Olaf asked.

“What are you, anyhow?”

“Well, I’m a snowman!” said Olaf. “I’m just a few balls of ice stuck together to form a body, decorated with sticks for arms and coals for eyes and a carrot nose so I look like a little man, but I’m made of snow. You see?”

“Uh-huh,” Bucky nodded. “But I thought snow was inanimate.”

“Yes well, you see, I’m not made of ordinary snow. Elsa built me with her powers, because any snowman she builds comes to life. No, I’m not the only snowman she’s built, this other guy, Marshmallow, he’s not nearly as nice as me, he’s got serious issues, so we don’t see him around much.”

“And does that explain the…” Bucky gestured at the cloud of drifting snow hovering above Olaf’s head.

“My flurry, oh yeah,” said Olaf. “It’s so I don’t melt every time I step outside on a summer day. I like warm things. I like summer, and hot, cozy fires, and sunshine, but most of all warm hugs--oh, I didn’t give you one yet, did I?”

Bucky held up his metal hand to keep Olaf from advancing any further. “But isn’t that a little counter-intuitive, if you like hot things but you’re made of ice?”

“Well, I learned from hard experience recently that heat can be dangerous,” Olaf nodded sagely. “But you know what, there are two sides to a lot of things like that. Heat can be bad for you, but it can also be good because it makes you feel warm inside. And I like what Anna said earlier about ice and snow: it can be dangerous, but it can be beautiful, too.”

They had walked around the halls and passed some closed doors before reaching the picture gallery.

But Bucky paid him no attention. Peering into the gallery, he said, “Now if I were Sara, where would I hide?”

“Were you here earlier?” asked Olaf. “Oh, that’s right, that’s where I met her. How silly of me to forget that.”

Bucky wandered into the portrait gallery. He saw some bulging curtains on the far side of the room.

“Hmm,” he said, eyeing the curtains. There was a soft jingle of laughter from behind them.

“I’m guessing Sara’s not anywhere in here,” he said coyly, much to the delight of the curtains.

Very quietly, he crept across the floor towards them. When Sara poked out her head on one side to see if he was there, he surprised her with a loud “boo!” from the other side.  
She shrieked and giggled. He laughed, too.

“I guess we should go find the others,” said Sara.

“Right,” said Bucky, and they exited the gallery and went down the main staircase. They found Elsa and Anna waiting for them in the atrium of the palace.

“I think Bucky should hide next,” Sara announced.

“What?” said Bucky.

”Well you found me,” said Sara, “so you should go.”

“Fine,” said Bucky, “and I’ll hide in a place you’d never look.” 

He was...he was having fun, he was surprised to admit to himself. He had only recently re-learned that word, and now he was re-learning what it meant. It came so naturally to  
him. He wondered if he’d been the type of person once who liked to do fun things.

He went to the second floor, going to a back hallway that had some wooden furniture in it. The guards standing outside one of the rooms nodded to him casually, though Bucky  
kept an eye on their ceremonial spearpoints.

He didn’t want to hide someplace too well-hidden for them to find them, that would only keep them longer, and he wanted to leave as soon as the Doctor came.

He wondered if he hid under the one side table across from the window if they would think he wasn’t trying hard enough. But what the heck, he thought to himself, it wouldn’t hurt to fake out just once.

He figured he was good enough at disappearing that if he could make a living playing this hide-and-go-seek game, he would do it...

A new layer of snow had fallen on the Brooklyn neighborhood. Eagerly he scooped some of the fresh powder into a snowball, added some slush, and took aim at an upper-story apartment window. There was a satisfying thunk on the glass when it made impact, followed by a shower of ice and powder as the snowball collapsed.

The window opened. Steve was still in his two-sizes-too-large pajamas.

“Steve!” Bucky shouted at the top of his lungs, “you wanna go sledding?”

“I can’t!” Steve hollered down to him. “Mother says I’m not well enough yet. She fears I’ll catch cold and get pneumonia.”

“Yeah, well I think you’re more likely to catch it if you sit up there in your freezing apartment all day and don’t come out. Bundle up!”

“Okay,” Steve grunted, shutting the window.

Bucky passed the ten-minute wait by building a little snowman by the bottom of the stairs, with rocks for eyes and buttons. He thought some metal rods would do nicely for arms, but found they were too heavy to stay on.

Finally, the Rogers’ door opened and Steve came out, wearing a heavy wool coat and a floppy hat. Bucky could tell he had other coats and jackets layered on underneath. He glared down at Bucky over the rim of the collar.

“I know, I know, I look ridiculous.”

“It’s okay, buddy,” said Bucky, patting him on the back when he reached the bottom. “At least you’re bundled up. Come on, you can help me carry the toboggan.”

It was Bucky really who carried most of the weight, but he let Steve hold on to the end to make sure it didn’t fly out at random angles and hit people, since that happened more  
often than not when Bucky carried it by himself.

After a slow walk, they reached the neighborhood park with its small hill for sledding. Valiantly they marched up the hill through a foot of the winter’s accumulated snow, tripping over the uneven steps of the other sledders. 

“You ready?” Bucky said when they reached the top and dropped the toboggan into position. Steve got on in front. Bucky pushed them off, and they went down the hill yelling and  
cheering for joy, and Bucky’s yellow scarf flew out behind them like a flag. They reached the bottom and let the momentum roll them off the sled into the snow and they looked up at the whispy-clouded sky and laughed.

“You wanna do that again?” Bucky said as they slowly crawled up. 

“Not yet,” Steve gasped. But he was smiling. Bucky smiled back.

“Hey, look, it’s Rogers!” shouted the voice of a familiar bully from behind them.

“Nice hat, Rabbit Face!”

“Look who’s out of his sickbed!” echoed one of the cronies.

Steve sat up straight, craning his neck to look out his turtle-shell of coats. 

“You wanna piece of me?” he shouted.

“Shut up, Rogers! You moron!” the first bully shouted.

“Go back home to your mammas!” Bucky called back. He called the bully a very nasty name.

"You watch your mouth, Stinkhead!" the bully called back. 

“Is that the best thing you can do, call me names, Buttface!” 

Buttface and his minions volleyed them with snowballs. Bucky retaliated as best he could, but poor Steve in all his coats couldn’t move quickly enough to return the onslaught.  
But then he got an idea. He lifted the toboggan out of the snow and placed it sideways in front of him. Bucky saw what he was doing and got behind it.

“Great idea, pal!” Bucky said to him, launching a snowball from behind their shelter. 

Some of the bullies got smart and ran around the toboggan to attack. Bucky had a snowball waiting for their leader. 

The two groups of boys threw snowballs at each other and wrestled in the snow until they were too exhausted to continue. Then the lead bully ordered his sycophants to fall back. 

“Keep watching after Rogers, you dripface!” he called back.

“Dripface yourself!” Bucky kicked the snow and walked back to Steve. Steve had remained behind the toboggan, but he was soaked from the deluge of snowballs. 

Bucky took of his hat and collapsed on the ground.

“I’m tired.”

“Do you wanna go down the hill again?” asked Steve.

Bucky didn’t hesitate. “Sure.” And they went. 

“Bucky,” Sara’s voice echoed down the hallway. She came with her footsteps pounding and her skirt swishing. She peered under a couch. “Bucky, are you up--you weren’t even  
trying!”

Bucky laughed as he crawled out from under the table. “Well, serves you right, if the best thing you could come up with was to hide behind a curtain.” 

Anna came stomping around from the other side of the hall. They reconvened downstairs with Elsa and Olaf and were joined by Kristoff in the atrium. Anna decided to take a turn to hide. They found her hiding in a narrow space behind a couch in one of the upstairs sitting rooms. They returned to start over again when they saw two visitors entering the atrium.

“Doctor!” Sara exclaimed.

“Hello!” the Doctor greeted them.

“How are you?” Sara said as she rushed to embrace Clara. They both shook hands with Bucky.

“How was the trip from Corona?” asked Clara.

“Oh, it was lovely,” said Sara. “We’re having a wonderful time, aren’t we, Bucky?”

“Yeah, sure,” Bucky nodded.

“So when are we leaving?” Sara asked the Doctor.

“Well, I wanted to ask you about that,” said the Doctor, “because when we arrived here we heard there was going to be a ball tonight. We thought you two might like to stay for  
that.”

“Of course we would!” Sara exclaimed.

“Sure,” Bucky shrugged.

“Excellent!,” said the Doctor. “Of course, I do believe we should be asking for an invitation from the lady of the house.”

Elsa had approached to greet them. She bowed courteously to the Doctor. “The ball is open to the public,” said the Queen, “but of course you four would be most welcome.”

“Thank you, your highness,” the Doctor bowed in reply.

“Now, who is this?” Elsa asked Sara.

“These have been our escorts through space and time, the Doctor and Clara Oswald.”

“How do you do?” said Clara.

“What kind of a Doctor?” asked Elsa.

The Doctor laughed. “A very interesting kind, I assure you. I’m a time traveler.”

“Oh, all right,” Elsa nodded, though she didn’t quite understand even what that was.

Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf came up to be introduced to the Doctor. The Doctor was especially delighted with the snowman.

“Oh, Sara, I’m so excited you’re staying for the ball!” said Anna. “I can help you get ready, if you want.”

“Sure, what time does it start?”

“The ball starts at eight, but there’s going to be a state dinner at seven,” said Elsa. “ I think I’d better alert the kitchens we’re going to need four more place settings.”

“I can do that for you,” said Kristoff.

“Thanks, Kristoff.”

“What time is it now?” Sara asked.

“Four o’clock,” said Anna. “We’d better get started.”

“Right. I’ll see you guys at dinner, then?” said Sara to her friends.

“Yes, we’ll see you there,” said Clara as Sara and Anna headed for the stairs.

“Take care!” the Doctor called after them. “Then he looked at Bucky. “Now what do we need to do for you?”

“Well…” Bucky started.

“One doesn’t wear rags like that to a ball, even if they are a gentleman,” Clara commented.

“I think Kristoff might have a few things he can wear,” said Elsa. “I can show you to his rooms.”

“Sure,” Bucky said.

“Oh, do cheer up, friend,” said the Doctor. “You’ll be having the time of your life tonight. Now tell me, Mr. Snowman, where did you come from?”

Elsa and Bucky walked side-by-side up the stairs and down the hall.

“You don’t seem too excited about the party,” she commented.

“Partying isn’t my thing,” Bucky said. 

“I know how that feels,” said Elsa. “I never really got out much when I was younger. My parents tried to hide my ice powers from everyone. It wasn’t until after they came out that  
I realized I liked having company.”

“Where did you get your powers from?” Bucky asked her.

“I don’t know,” said Elsa. “I was born with them. My mother said she never noticed anything wrong when she was carrying me, so I don’t--”

“Carrying you?”

“When she was pregnant.”

“Oh, of course,” Bucky nodded.

“But anyway, I’m not sure where it came from.”

“Do you like having the power to freeze things?”

“I do,” Elsa said. “It’s just, I didn’t like it so much when I was younger, because my parents always treated it like a bad thing. I had to learn how to control them. But controlling  
something doesn’t mean you never use it, it means you use it on your own terms, and you never let it master you. Now tell me about you. Sara says you were an assassin?”

“Yes, I was,” Bucky said.

“How did you end up getting that job?”

“Well, I don’t know,” said Bucky. “It didn’t come to me naturally. I was found by these evil people...a very long time ago. They made me into what they wanted me to be.”

“And that was?”

“A mindless monster.”

“Don’t call yourself a monster,” Elsa said, looking at him.

“But I was a monster,” said Bucky. “I killed people. I made bad things happen in my world.”

“But was that because you wanted to?”

“No.”

“Then you are not a monster. Real monsters...look like people, but they don’t love other people.”

Bucky looked down at the floor, but Elsa held up his chin. 

“You and I are not so different,” she said to him. “The only real difference between us is that while you run from the ice, I embrace it.” She smiled at him, and they continued  
down the hallway.

When they reached Anna’s chambers, a servant announced to her and Sara that a bath was waiting for them. Anna let Sara go first, and while Anna took hers she told Sara to go through her closet and see if she found something she would want to wear.

“I’ve had these made since Elsa started throwing more parties,” Anna explained.

“Which one are you wearing?”

“My green one.”

By that she meant the green gown that she’d worn to the coronation. If Anna hadn’t mentioned that, Sara would’ve been tempted to take it. There were six other dresses in her closet. None of them really appealed to Sara, except for a pale pink one. She was looking at it in a mirror when Anna came out of the tub.

Anna made Sara sit down at her vanity so she could do her hair and makeup.

“So where did you meet this Bucky guy?” Anna asked her.

“Under a paving stone, literally,” said Sara. “He needed my help trying to solve some riddles to potentially unlock his memory.”

“Oh, and is he remembering?”

“I’m not sure,” said Sara, leaning on the vanity. “He doesn’t say much.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll tell you when he’s ready,” said Anna eagerly. “So what do you think about him?”

“What?”

“Do you like him?”

“Naw,” Sara said. “We’re just friends.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I just hold hands with him for companionship. It helps him feel safe, I think, when we’re in unusual situations. Besides,” Sara said, “I like guys who are a little more  
talkative.”

“I know what you mean,” said Anna. “I was never really a fan of the ‘strong, silent type’ myself, but here I am in a relationship with Kristoff. And it’s going well.”

“Is it?” Sara said. “Does he treat you well?”

“Mm-hmm. Though, he’s kind of an interesting guy. He’s not really into...dating. He just likes spending time with me.”

“Okay?” said Sara.

“He’s not really that romantic. He doesn’t do anything like bring me flowers or chocolates unless I suggest him to. He’s not really a fan of parties or dancing, either. He likes  
playing music with me or going on long walks or rides in the country. He’s...really anything but the kind of guy I thought I’d end up liking.”

“Any chance it could be love?”

“I think so,” Anna sighed.

“You know,” Sara said, carefully, “I heard about what happened to you, with Prince Hans.”

“You have?”

“A lot more people have heard about it than you realize,” Sara said, laughing quietly. “But I didn’t want to offend you, by bringing that up.”

“No, no, it’s all right,” said Anna. “I got over it pretty quickly. I think Hans liked me, he just realized he could take advantage of me, and he did. But Kristoff isn’t like that. He’d  
rather live in the woods by himself than be a prince. He doesn’t treat me like a princess much.”

“But does he treat you like a person?”

Anna paused, and then she smiled. “Yes. He does.”

“Well, that’s wonderful,” said Sara. “I’m happy for you both.”

“So how about you?” asked Anna. “Do you have any boys at home, or wherever you come from?”

“I don’t,” Sara laughed. “Man, don’t I wish. I’m not a boy-crazy type. I’m just going to wait for the right person, and then everything will be just fine.”

“Boy crazy?” Anna said, walking over to her wardrobe to get something.

“I didn’t mean you personally.”

Anna laughed, and she batted her hairbrush at Sara.

Anna arranged Sara’s hair into a braid that went around her head and ended in a bun at the back, and she tucked in some pink roses. The pink dress fit her comfortably,  
although Sara found it a little hard to breathe.

Anna and Sara were ready at a quarter to seven and went downstairs in their gowns. Sara couldn’t help but stop to admire herself every time they passed a mirror.

The Doctor and Clara were waiting in the palace atrium with a group of official-looking people. The Doctor wore a green velvet frock coat and an embroidered waistcoat. Clara  
was wearing a dark blue gown with black puffed sleeves.

Kristoff came into the room wearing a green military jacket, and Sara thought he looked rather like a cricket.

“Where’s Bucky?” she asked him.

“Up there, hiding,” Kristoff said, looking at the top of the stairs. “He refused to come down. He thinks he looks terrible in the outfit I gave him.”

“I’ll go get him,” said Sara, wondering what he was fussing about this time. Hitching up her skirts, she dashed up the marble staircase. She found Bucky sitting in a darkened drawing room. He wore green trousers and black boots and a white military jacket trimmed with green and gold. He was clean-shaven and his hair was combed and washed.  
Even with a sulky demeanour he looked breathtakingly handsome. 

“Hey, what are you doing up here?”

He noticed her. “Oh, you look nice.”

“Thanks,” said Sara, “but you didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” said Bucky.

She sat down next to him on the couch, her massive skirt taking up most of the remaining space. “If you’re just fine, then why aren’t you downstairs? We’ll be late for dinner, you know.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Oh. Is that really your problem?”

“Yes.”

“Come on!” said Sara. “It’s not every day that the Queen of Arendelle invites you to a ball.”

“I told you, I don’t go to parties.”

“Elsa used to not go to parties, either. Come on. I heard Bucky Barnes was quite the dancer. And you’ve proven it more than once!”

“Yes, well I don’t feel like dancing tonight.”

“Why not?”

He folded his arms and looked away. 

“What’s your problem? You were doing so good today! You can tell me.”

“Well,” he said, his voice shaking a little, “don’t you think this outfit looks ridiculous?”

Sara laughed. “Sorry, sorry, I wasn’t laughing at the outfit. I was just--hahahah, oh, Bucky, you don’t know what a ridiculous outfit is.”

“I don’t like the bright colors,” he said. “And it fits funny.”

“Well, was that all Kristoff had in his closet?”

“Just this and the one he’s wearing tonight.”

“Well, I’m sorry we can’t do better to accommodate your tastes,” she said. “Anna and Kristoff were very nice to give us something to wear at all, you know. Do you still have your Glamour?”

He pulled it out of his pocket.

“Good.”

“Why didn’t the Glamour give us something to wear for this?”

“Well, we were able to borrow some physical clothes to tonight. You’re being very ungrateful to our hosts, you know that?”

She took him by the hand and pulled him off the couch. “Come on, I know it’s probably nothing you’re used to, but someday...you know what, someday people are going to like  
you again. And they’ll be asking you to parties and stuff all the time.”

“That is not gonna happen.” 

“Yes, it is. And you’ll have to know how to dress for the occasion. Now, Arendelle is maybe a little different from our world, so for tonight, just wear what they’re wearing and  
they’ll think the better of you. Showing up wearing a dorky outfit is better than not showing up at all, don’t you think?”

“I guess,” he sighed. “But, Sara--I’m not a handsome prince. I’m a monster.”

“Nobody here will know that.”

“But the nice clothes, the manners--none of that changes anything.”

“Bucky--you’re a good person. I believe that. I need you to believe that, too. I’ll be right there with you.” She took both of his hands in her arms. “Just...don’t worry about all that tonight. Go and have fun. You don’t have to worry about your past. You can make some new memories tonight. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Perfect.” She stood up. “We’ll go downstairs together and make your grand entrance. And they’ll all have their eyes on me and this pink thing I’m wearing, so they won’t look twice at you--unless they’re the Doctor or Anna and Kristoff or Clara.”

He sighed. “Do I have to?”

“Just this once,” Sara cajoled him. “Now take my arm. You used to be good at this sort of thing. Maybe tonight you’ll remember some of it.”

She smiled at him, and he gave her a half a smile back.

They left the drawing room and went down the hall.

At the top of the stairs, he pulled back.

“It’s okay, Bucky,” said Sara. “No one down there wants to hurt you. Just breathe.”

“Just breathe,” he echoed, taking a deep breath.

They came down the stairs hand in hand. The Doctor saw them and applauded them silently.

“Good show. Good show.”

“You look great,” said Anna.

“Thanks.”

They had arrived not a moment too soon, for a major domo appeared and announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Queen Elsa of Arendelle.”

Elsa appeared at the head of the stairs and came down. She was wearing a blue-gray gown with a full skirt and hanging sleeves, covered with pale blue lace patterned like snowflakes, and she had a snowflake tiara to match. Everyone applauded and bowed as she passed, and she led the way into the state dining room for the dinner.

Dinner was three courses, soup and bread and salad for the first, grilled chicken and pasta salad for the second, and the third was dessert, a chocolate cheesecake drizzled with chocolate syrup and raspberries. To drink there was sparkling punch, much to Sara’s pleasure. Sara was full before she had finished half of the main course and was thankful for the tight stomacher on her dress, and she was busy giving Bucky pointers on how to use the cutlery. The cheesecake, however, was devoured entirely. Bucky cleared his plate for both courses. The Doctor entertained the other guests with light jokes, and Queen Elsa was attended by Olaf, who had donned a bowtie for the occasion. 

At ten minutes to eight,the dessert plates were cleared and Elsa rose from her seat, and the other guests did the same. Elsa exited the room, and the dinner guests followed into the atrium where the other ball guests were waiting. The doors to the ball room were opened, and they filed in after the queen and princess and Kristoff. 

Though the crowd was well-dressed, the dancing was a mix of both folk dances and formal dances. Elsa and Anna each took a turn with Bucky and the Doctor, and Kristoff danced with Sara and Clara once each.

Bucky ended up enjoying himself. He asked several of the young ladies to dance with him and was never partner-less for the slow numbers. Sara was so proud of him.  
At last, midnight came and Sara’s feet were sore, and the Doctor informed Sara and Bucky that it was time for them to get ready to go. They were both very sorry to leave. Kristoff and Anna went upstairs with them to help them change, and feeling very under-dressed they took their leave of Elsa, Kristoff, Anna, and Olaf.

“Thank you all so much for everything,” said Sara.

“Oh, no problem,” said Anna.

“We are glad we were able to help,” said Elsa. Both of the sisters hugged Sara and Bucky. Anna managed to sneak Bucky a kiss on the cheek.

They were about to turn to leave when Sara said, “Oh!”

“What?” asked Bucky.

“I believe there’s a snowman who owes us a warm hug.”

Olaf looked positively delighted. Sara and Bucky knelt down. The hug wasn’t exactly warm, but it was a good one.

The Doctor and Clara took leave of the royal family, and they left the palace. The gates were open and the stars were shining. The Doctor had the T.A.R.D.I.S. parked on the edge  
of the city square.

Paris

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” The Doctor said. “Clara, if you will go get Sara’s bathrobe, please.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Clara grumbled. She went to one of the other rooms.

“Are you sure I can’t stay back there?” said Bucky. “I think the thugs back in Corona would take a liking to me.”

The Doctor laughed and pulled the sherry out of the cabinet. “Oh, Bucky, there are many places in the cosmos where you would fit much better than where you were. But you  
know, as hard as it is to stay in the place where you’re at, it’s where you’re most needed. Am I right, Sara?” He winked at her.

Sara shrugged. “You don’t need to be so cryptic, Doctor.”

“I do, actually.”

“Well, aren’t you sure the world would be a better place without me?” Bucky pressed him.

“No, trust me, your dimension needs you right where you are.”

“Did you have a good time, Bucky?” Sara asked him.

“Well, of course I did,” he said. “You wouldn’t find me begging to stay if I hadn’t, would you?”

“But do you feel better now, about yourself?”

“I guess,” said Bucky.

“Then you’re not a waste of space. If you want to feel good, start with feeling good about yourself. Then you can help others do the same. You know, you’ve helped me feel  
better about myself?”

“I have, really?”

“Yes, you have.” She looked at him like he shouldn’t have been so surprised.

“How did I do that?”

“By letting me help you. And not to mention, we went dancing together every night for the past week. You’re the most amazing partner I’ve ever had.”

“Really? Because that one old lady in Arendelle said I danced like an awkward duck.”

“Oh, don’t listen to the naysayers. They don’t have anything to say about you that’s worth saying.”

“I guess so.”

Clara returned to the room with Sara’s bathrobe. She was still in her dress but had taken off her jewelry and unpinned down her hair. “Sorry I kept you all waiting, those bobby  
pins were giving me a headache.”

Sara sighted and stood up. She removed the Glamour and traded it for the bathrobe.

Bucky was looking at Clara the way a shortsighted person would look at the world after receiving their first pair of glasses.

“What?” Clara asked him.

“Are you all right, Bucky?” asked Sara.

“It’s just...your hair looks interesting like that, Clara,” he said.

“Oh,” she said, “well, it does look a little poofy, after being pinned up with hairspray all evening. Maybe I wore it like this on purpose once?” She eyed him coyly.

“I guess, it looks good, I mean, for being undone.” He handed her his Glamour, and his Arendelle garb were jeans and a nasty red sweater once again.

“Thanks,” Clara blushed. “Doctor, you sure it wasn’t him?”

“I’m never sure of little details like that, dear,” the Doctor said, swinging his sherry glass at her. “Now tell me, Sara, which is our next destination?”

“I’ll go get the napkin,” said Sara, leaving for her room.

The Doctor counted off on his fingers. “There were six we were supposed to visit. We’ve gone to five of them.”

“So there’s one left,” said Clara. “And after that I guess you’ll both be leaving us.”

“Right,” said Bucky. “That was...we did it all rather quickly, didn’t we?”

Clara nodded. “‘Time flies when you’re having fun,’ they say.”

“Actually, that’s a misnomer,” said the Doctor. “Space-time doesn’t move. You just move through it. But yes, it does seem like just a short while ago, you two first came on the  
T.A.R.D.I.S. You’ve changed quite a bit, Bucky. You’re not nearly as sulky as when I first met you.”

“Er, thanks,” Bucky said quietly.

“And Sara, she’s changed, too. She knows her way quite a bit better around here--”

“Here we are,” Sara said as she came back into the control room. “It looks like we’ve only got one place left to visit:

If you would know secrets that lie in your heart,  
1927 Paris is a good place to start.”

“Ah, yes, Paris,” the Doctor sighed. “I have been there many times. Including several variations of the 1920s. Always a fun place.”

“Who will you be seeing there, I wonder?” asked Clara.

“That’s a good question,” said Sara, “but I think I know who it is.”

“Another princess this time?” said Bucky.

“Yes, but one I think who found the crown a bit tiresome to wear. But she went through an experience similar to yours, Bucky. She lost her memories and had to find her family.  
She’ll be glad to help you, I think.”

“Does this one have any magic?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

She patted Bucky’s arm. “Well, I guess it’s time for bed for the both of us.”

“For all of us,” said the Doctor, putting the sherry back in the cabinet. “You two’ve had a long trip together. You’ll want to be fresh when you visit Paris, yes? It’s a big, busy city.”

“Yes, sir, good night,” said Sara as she and Bucky went to their rooms.

The night passed uneventfully, except Sara could hardly fall asleep for the first little while, so excited was she with anticipation for their next visit and for the success of their last two.

When she woke up in the morning, though, it was to the gloomy thought that this was her and Bucky’s last adventure together, if it qualified as such. 

The Doctor and Clara had made pancakes for them. Bucky seemed sad about something, but when she asked, he only shrugged and said he’d forgotten what blueberry pancakes tasted like. “At the homeless shelter in Denver they only had plain ones.”

“Are you two ready?” the Doctor asked when they had eaten their fill. They went to the control room. “Clara, have the Glamours ready.”

Clara swooped one over Sara’s neck. She felt a strange breeze around her ears and neck. She was wearing a short dress, a deep red with cream-colored starched cuffs and a bow that made a low waist. The leather shoes were really nice, at least.

“Haha, look at you,” came Bucky’s voice from behind her. 

“Look at you!” she said. His hair had been cut fairly short, or it at least looked that way, and he was wearing a really nice cream-colored suit. 

“Clara, I think you should get them some hats before they freak out about their hair,” said the Doctor.

“Right away, sir,” said Clara. If Sara didn’t know better, she was blushing when she left the room.

“Where’s the mirror?” said Bucky, striding into the bathroom. “Whoo! I almost forgot I had a face in there.”

“Kind of hard to tell with that--oh!” That explained why her head suddenly felt light. Her hair had been bobbed off, almost to the ears, and waved. Whether she looked ten years  
younger or ten years older it was hard to tell. “I guess I’ve got one too.”

They looked at the mirror and at each other in bewilderment. “Well...I feel different,” said Bucky, trying some of his fringe with a comb.

“Thank goodness I don’t have bangs, that would’ve been terrible,” said Sara. “Relax, it’s only temporary.”

“You talking to me or to yourself?”

“Either way.”

“You look fine, stop freaking out,” said Bucky. He was trying different facial expressions with his reflection. First a raised eyebrow, then a sneer.

“Stop that!” said Sara, giving him a friendly pat on the arm.

“Have you two stopped flirting with yourselves?” said Clara, returning to the control room. “Get over here, I’ve got some accessories for you. The purse has a hundred francs in it.”

She gave Sara a clutch purse and a wool cloche hat with a red satin bow. Bucky got a straw hat, a cane, and a pair of gloves.

“Thanks,” said Bucky, “that’ll do nicely.” He slid the left-hand glove over the metal hand.

“Now, do please try to keep them on this time,” said Clara.

“I’ll be fine, just relax,” said Bucky. “Besides, this coat has pockets, doesn’t it?”

“You should at least try to appear like a gentleman,” said Clara.

“How do I look?” said Bucky, tipping his hat to the Doctor.

“Dapper!” said the Doctor, clapping. “Absolutely smashing.”

“I was going to say, who are you and what happened to Mr. Grumpy Face?” said Sara.

“That’s why we’re using the Glamours, you see,” said the Doctor. “It adjusts the hair and the clothing for the time period without making anyone too uncomfortable. Now, I do  
believe your contacts live in the Russian neighborhood off of the Rue de P______. I will be leaving you very close to there, so as soon as you come out go to the right. Look for number thirty Rue de C_____.”

“Rue de C____, got it,” said Bucky.

“We’ll be leaving you there until nightfall. Meet us on the far side of the ____ bridge.”

“We will,” said Sara. 

“All right, you two have a good time,” said the Doctor, waving them off.

“Take care,” said Sara.

“Bye,” said Clara.

They emerged onto a busy street. It was late in the afternoon. They walked to the right and found a street sign naming the Rue de P____ and turned down that. It was a good thing the Glamours hid their true appearances, or else Sara might have felt conspicuous.

“So who is this we’re going to see?” asked Bucky.

“Well, as you can tell, this story happened long before the Winter Soldier ever did,” Sara began. “There are many stories about how the Russian princess Anastasia could have survived the deaths of her family. This particular version, her grandmother left her with a necklace that was actually a key to a special music box. The key was inscribed with a  
message that said, ‘Together in Paris,’ so she found her way to Paris.”

“And then what happened?”

“She fell in love with one of the con men who was presenting her to her grandmother, the Dowager Empress,” said Sara dreamily. “Princesses don’t marry kitchen boys, so I guess instead of saving Russia she ended up living happily ever after in--was it this street?”

“I can’t read that,” said Bucky.

“I can’t read French,” said Sara, reading out the sign aligned with the side street. “But I guess this is it.”

The neighborhood they entered was definitely a poorer one, and some of the people on the streets were definitely speaking a language other than French. 

“I hope this is the right one,” Sara said, looking up and down the apartment building.

“What else do you know about her?”

“She goes by Anya, and her significant other is named Dmitri. They have a dog named Pooka--although, he wasn’t very partial to dogs--”

“That’s it, up there,” said Bucky, pointing with his cane up to one of the flats that had a number 30 tacked over the door.

They climbed up the exterior stairs. An old lady folding laundry watched them.

“I wonder what language we’ll be speaking to them in.”

“We’re speaking English, aren’t we?”

“Yes. But I’m not sure if they’ll be speaking to us in English or French or Russian or how we’ll even be able to understand them, or how can people who travel to other dimensions  
can automatically understand the other people they talk to?”

“Wouldn’t that be how the Doctor does it?”

“I guess. I don’t know, he can speak lots of languages, for crying out loud.”

They knocked on the door. There was a dog barking on the other side of the door, and a man told it to be quiet. He had combed brown hair and wore a green vest over two rolled-up shirts.

“Hello?”

They had no trouble understanding him.

“Hi, are you Dmitri?” asked Sara.

“Yes, I am,” he said.

The dog yipping at his heels was Pooka, although he was a couple of sizes bigger than Sara thought he’d be. He picked up the dog in his arms, though he squirmed and lunged at the strangers. Bucky took a step back.

“Well, once again you’re the man to see,” said Sara. “Is Anya home?”

“Yes, she is. Honey!” He called back. “How can we help you?”

“I think that’s a little hard to explain,” said Sara.

A woman stepped into the doorway. She wore an apron over a purple button-up dress. 

“Hello there,” she said. She had brown hair tied in a large bun at the back of her head and very large blue eyes.

“This is my wife, Anya,” said Dmitri.

“How do you do?” said Bucky, shaking hands with the both of them.

“Oh, you two are married?”

“Yes, and we’ve been quite happily married for about a year now,” Dmitri said, putting his arm around her.

“You must get that question a lot.”

“We don’t, really.”

“Why don’t you come in?” said Anya. “Have a seat.”

The apartment was furnished with good-quality secondhand furniture, and it was clean and in good repair. They hung their hats on a stand by the door.

Sara and Bucky sat on the couch while their hosts took two chairs across from them, an armchair and an extra wooden chair from the kitchen. Pooka, however, would not stay in  
Dmitri’s hands, but slipped out and ran up to Bucky and tried to jump on him. Bucky tried to jump away.

“Sorry about that,” said Dmitri. “He normally doesn’t act so upset around strangers.”

“Pooka, down!” said Anya firmly. “Over here. You stay.” Pooka grudgingly took a seat on the floor beside his mistress.

“So what are your names?” asked Dmitri.

“I’m Sara Martin, and this is Bucky Barnes.”

“Okay, and where are you from?”

“America, the both of us, except he was brainwashed to think he’s from Russia. That’s kind of why we came to you for help, actually,” said Sara. “He’s been having trouble  
remembering who he is. Could you help us?”

“Sounds like you came to the right place,” said Dmitri, looking at Anya.

“I’m not really an expert on helping people with memory loss,” said Anya after a pause. 

Pooka whimpered.

“It’s not dinnertime for you yet, honey,” Anya said to him. 

“You say he’s an American?” Dmitri said, looking at Bucky.

“I guess,” said Bucky. “What memories I do have coming back to me are not about a childhood in Russia or anything of the sort. I was taken a prisoner by the Russians during a  
war that I guess Sara would say has yet to happen--”

“We’ve been traveling through space and time looking for a solution,” Sara explained.

“All right. Well, if you don’t remember a childhood that was very cold and involved lots of snow, I wouldn’t say you’re from Russia or anyplace close to that,” said Anya. 

“Well, there wasn’t that much of it,” said Bucky.

“Yes, but why would someone brainwash you?” asked Anya. “What were they making you try to forget?”

“It was to keep him from remembering,” said Sara. “They turned him into a mindless assassin and sent off him to kill people. If he’d had a life to remember, he wouldn’t have  
been able to do his job.”

“I see,” Anya nodded. “And how long has it been since you started remembering?”

“Six months, or thereabout,” said Bucky.

“I’d say it’s getting closer to seven,” said Sara.

“I am trying to remember. I am,” said Bucky. “It’s just...they took so much away from me. It comes back in bits and pieces, but it doesn’t stick.”

Anya nodded. “That sounds terrible,” she said. “I know when I lost my memories, I couldn’t think of my name or where I had come from. I didn’t remember how to walk or to run  
or to laugh for a while. My orphanage mistress said I had a mind of my own still, but when people would ask me questions like who my parents her or where I had lived before, I  
couldn’t give them an answer. I’d try, but my mind would come up blank.”

“Yeah,” Bucky said, nodding. “I know exactly how it feels. People would ask me that sometimes, and I didn’t want to answer them. Not because I didn’t want them prying into my business, but because I didn’t want them to know that I didn’t know.”

“Exactly,” said Anya.

“So how did you remember?” 

“Well, it started when I left the Orphanage,” said Anya. “I still had the necklace with me then, the one that said ‘Together in Paris’ that Grandmama had given me. I knew if I  
wanted to find out who I was, I’d have to go looking in Paris. And that was when I ran into Dmitri.”

“I was a con man back then,” Dmitri said. 

“Still is.”

“No I’m not, I’m trying to be decent now,” he said, shoving Anya playfully. “but back then, the Dowager Empress had offered ten million rubles to whoever could find her  
granddaughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia. I came across Anya one day, and I said to myself, now who doesn’t look more like the missing Grand Duchess than she does? So we  
took her, my partner Vladimir and I, and we made it here to Paris. Getting the Dowager to talk to her took some persuasion.”

“But it turned out I really was the Grand Duchess,” said Anya, “so it all worked out in the end, thank goodness.”

“Really?’ said Bucky. “Ten million rubles could’ve bought you a much nicer place.”

“Naw, I didn’t want the money,” said Dmitri. “I only wanted her.” They held hands and smiled.

Sara coughed.

“So anyway, nowadays I’m a changed man, I run a business helping Russian expats find jobs in France.”

“And I teach French to Russian children,” said Anya.

“We’re better off than we would’ve been, rich or royal or whatever.”

“I can see that,” said Sara. “But we’re getting off the subject, how did you remember that you were the princess?”

“Well, in order to get me anywhere near the Dowager, Dmitri and Vadimir trained me to have royal manners,” said Anya. “And they also drilled me on places and names and events  
that the princess Anastasia would have remembered. And the more I thought about them, the more I realized, her past was my past. There were so many things about being a  
princess that just made sense to me. And it wasn’t just the big things, the anecdotes and the manners, it was the little things that made the difference. We would start discussing the life of the princess, and I would remember details. They would just come to me.”

“Wasn’t the first one where you remembered so-and-so’s yellow cat?” said Dmitri.

Pooka squeaked. 

“I believe it was,” said Anya. “Gosh, how was that already a year ago?” She picked up Pooka and placed him in her lap. The dog eyed Bucky cautiously, and Bucky returned the  
glance. 

“The one that sealed the deal for me,” Dmitri began, “was when Sophie interviewed her--”

“Oh, Dmitri, do you have to tell everyone that story?”

“Everyone who asks,” said Dmitri. “But the one that sealed the deal. She said she remembered escaping the siege of the palace by opening a door in the wall. That was when I  
remembered I’d helped her and her grandmother escaped, because I’d worked in the palace at the time of the revolution.”

“Aha,” Bucky nodded. “Yes, kitchen boy, Sara told me you two were an, er, interesting couple.”

“Pretty much,” said Dmitri.

“So what helped you,” Sara said, “was talking about it with people, and trying to see if your memories matched up. Is that right?”

“Uh-huh,” Anya confirmed, “and, it was more than that, really.” She was silent for a minute. “It was...just looking for it. I didn’t know where to start searching, I just had to trust  
that if I did something about finding out who I was, then the answers would come to me eventually.”

“Like taking a step in the dark?”

“Yes,” said Anya. “And the more I remembered things, the more they made sense to me, and I could put them together.” 

“Really. And how long did this take?” asked Bucky.

“The whole trip was about, what, a week, two weeks?” Anya checked with Dmitri.

“Three weeks,” said Dmitri.

“Gosh, no time at all.”

Bucky leaned over and sighed, rubbing his fingers together. “Really. I’ve been out for about six months.” Pooka almost growled at something, but Anya shushed him.

“Well, how long have you been trying?” asked Anya.

“Just a few days,” said Sara. “You’ve got a long ways to go yet, Bucky.”

“You’re not going to get very far if you’re always expecting instant results,” said Anya. “That’s what I tell my French students all the time. Everyone is different, Bucky. You can’t  
compare yourself to other people. You may not remember things all at once, I certainly didn’t. But in the meantime, do whatever it takes, and don’t give up.”

“Sure,” Bucky nodded at her. “Is that all you’ve got? No mumbo-jumbo to try on me?”

“I’d just say be sure to steer clear of mumbo-jumbo in the future,” said Anya. “We had our fair share of it, didn’t we?”

“Sound advice,” Dmitri concurred. “Well, if that’s all you need from us, we’re glad you came.”

“Well, thank you very much,” said Sara.

“Sure thing,” said Bucky. “But...I have one more question, though. Why did...I mean, why didn’t you..if you were a princess before, why aren’t you one now?”

“Well, there’s a lot of answers to that, actually,” said Anya, shrugging. “It was...I love my grandmama, don’t get me wrong. I loved being with her again, and remembering who I  
was. But being a princess was another thing.”

“I always say it was the etiquette lessons that scared her off,” Dmitri interjected. 

“It wasn’t,” said Anya, nudging him playfully. “No, it was...what I was expected to be, I could guess. There was no way that I would ever be actually restored to the throne. But  
even a princess in exile has duties, responsibilites...I could have done all that just fine, worn the nice dresses, attended the balls and so forth. But I didn’t want that to be my life. I’d been poor before. It’s not just that I was used to it, but I knew what it felt like. I wanted to help people, to make a difference. But I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do that from a throne.” Anya looked at the floor. “And then, it’s just, when I was on my way to Paris, I didn’t really stop to think about what I’d wanted to do when I’d found my family. Sure, I’d stay in contact but, I wanted a life for myself. And as it turns out, I wanted him.” She and Dmitri leaned closer together. 

“So, you’re not a princess anymore?”

“Oh, no!” said Anya. “I am a princess...just not a princess...well, if that makes any sense. Why do you ask?”

“Well,” Bucky looked at Sara, “it’s just...some people think I’m supposed to be someone specific. Someone that they knew. But I’m not sure if I can do that. Not after what I’d been  
through. I don’t think I could ever be that guy again.”

“Oh, Bucky,” said Sara, “You don’t need to worry about it. You’ll get there.”

“Well, what if I don’t want to get there?”

“Then it’s all right,” Anya spoke up. “You don’t need anyone else to decide your life for you. You can be whatever, whoever you want.”

Pooka barked in affirmation.

“Well spoken,” said Dmitri, patting her on the back. “Well, it feels like you just got here, and we were planning on going out to dinner tonight, weren’t we, hon?” 

“Yes!” Sara said.

“Are you sure about this, Dmitri?” asked Anya.

“Uh, no, we’re on a tight schedule--” Bucky began.

“Come on! It’s not every day you get to go out for dinner in 1920s Paris,” Sara urged him, grabbing him by the jacket collar. “We’ve got plenty of money. We’d be happy to join you.”

“Okay,” Bucky relented. “Just as long as we’re not out after dark and we meet the Doctor on time.”

“Perfect,” said Anya, “I’ll go get ready.”

“I need to get ready too,” said Dmitri. 

“You entertain the company first, dear,” said Anya, standing up and taking the dog.

“Fine,” said Dmitri, kissing her on the mouth.

She went into the bedroom in the rear.

“This is a nice place you’ve got,” said Sara.

“Sure is,” said Dmitri. “Either of you guys thirsty?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” said Sara.

“What do you got?” asked Bucky. 

“We’re Russian. What do you think we’ve got?”

“Oh brother,” said Sara.

“Oh, come on, Sara, I’ll have just one,” said Bucky. He got off the couch and strode across the room to the kitchen area. “Although, with nobody here to boss me around, why  
should I have just one?”

“Dmitri, he only gets one,” said Sara, following them to the kitchen..

“Fair enough,” said Dmitri, pulling some glasses and a bottle out of the cupboard. He poured one for Bucky.

“Thanks,” said Bucky. “Really, Sara, I thought you weren’t the boss of me.”

“I’m just here to make sure you stay out of trouble,” said Sara. “There might be plenty of that if your lips even touch the stuff.”

Bucky sat on the kitchen counter. “Well, you know, if there’s one thing about my life as a brainwashed assassin I don’t mind keeping, it’s the vodka.” He toasted her. Sara gave  
him a severely annoyed look.

“But if you were brainwashed to think you were Russian,” said Dmitri, “certainly you must’ve spent some time in Russia.”

“I did. I just couldn’t tell you where, exactly,” said Bucky. “They kept me away from the sunshine, from anything warm...they didn’t let me outside much, except to kill people.”

“Well, Russia is a pretty cold place.”

“You have no idea.” Bucky finished his glass of vodka. “Well, you know what, wherever we’re going for dinner tonight, I sure hope they’ll have some of this stuff.”

“Dmitri, please do us both a favor and keep us away from the bars. He’s the type of person I would much rather not see intoxicated.”

“Fair enough,” said Dmitri, putting the glasses in the sink and the bottle back in the cupboard.

Anya re-entered the living room and they went to join her while Dmitri went to get ready. She was wearing a purple dress with a wide sash across the shoulder. 

“Well, you look lovely,” said Sara.

“Why thank you,” said Anya.

Pooka looked up from sniffing around the heels of his mistress to barking up at Bucky again.

“Would you stop it, Pooka?” Anya asked him.

But Pooka jumped up and went for Bucky’s left hand, tearing the glove off.

“Pooka you naughty--” Anya began, but then she stopped when she saw Bucky’s metal hand.

Sara returned the glove to Bucky. He gave a little nervous laugh. “Mumbo-jumbo.”

Anya gave him a nod. She wouldn’t press him further. They returned to the couches, with Pooka in Anya’s lap. “So tell me, you said you were traveling through time to get here?”

“We are,” said Sara, not sure how to explain that.

“Do you have a time machine, like the man in that Englishman’s novel, I forgot his name…?”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” said Sara. “We have a friend who’s agreed to help us visit various places in space and time so we could meet people that could help Bucky get his memory back.”

“All right, then,” said Anya. “It sounds like you’re off to a good start.”

“I guess it is,” said Bucky, “but you were the last person we were supposed to visit.”

“And then where were you going next?”

“Back to the future,” said Sara, “to our own place and time. We’re both in America right now.”

“Which part of America are you from?” asked Anya.

“I’m from Minnesota, Minneapolis. Bucky here used to be from New York City.”

“How ever did you meet?”

“Well,” Sara looked at Bucky, not sure if she could give an explanation.

“Well, I’ve been wandering around homeless for the past few months. Sara here -- “

“Are we ready to go?” Dmitri said, entering the room while tying on a tie. He was wearing a dark-colored suit.

“Do you need help with that?” asked Anya, getting up.

“I’m fine. I’ve got it,” said Dmitri, clearly getting the knot backwards.

“No, here, let me help,” she said, fixing his tie and giving him a kiss on the nose. “Now I think we’re ready.”

“Pooka, you stay here while we’re out, okay?”

Pooka barked obediently.

Sara gave Pooka a rub on the ears. “It was nice to meet you, Pooka,” she said.

Bucky just nodded. Pooka looked too eager to see the last of him.

“He likes you,” Anya said to Sara. But turning to Bucky, she added, “though I’m not so sure why he doesn’t like you.”

“Aw, he’s not the first dog who’s barked at me,” Bucky shrugged. He and Sara got their hats, and Dmitri closed and locked the door behind them.

“Pooka’s pretty good about being left alone,” said Dmitri when they went down the stairs. “Anya takes him with her to school. He only gets issues when we’re gone too long  
without telling him.”

“So you were telling me your story,” said Anya when they had reached the street.

“There wasn’t much more to tell,” said Bucky. “And I’m afraid you wouldn’t understand it all.”

“But you’re from the future. You can tell us what it’s like.”

“It’s not much different, really,” said Bucky.

“Well, it is, but in some ways it isn’t,” Sara added.

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you about it, really,” said Bucky, “I haven’t really lived in it that long. They tell me I came from the past, but my past is technically your future, so go figure.”

“By how much?” asked Anya.

“Oh, twenty years, give or take,” said Sara. “He spent seventy years as an assassin. But he’s so young-looking because they kept him on ice when he wasn’t needed.” 

The casualness with which she said that astounded her, and Bucky gave her a look as well.

“Well, they were really cruel to him,” said Sara. 

“I’ve figured that much,” said Dmitri. “So that puts you both from about ninety years in the future. Incredible.”

“You two seem to be taking this rather well.”

“We’ve seen some strange stuff,” said Anya.

“Oh, I heard about it,” said Sara. “I mean, I’ve heard of you before. But I’m pretty sure Rasputin’s got nothing on the guys who tortured Bucky.”

“Do you really think so?” said Anya, giving her a look.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

They walked down Rue de P_____ until they reached Rue de St. D____, where they crossed a bridge. Dmitri told them about his business, helping Russian expats in Paris find work,  
mostly in factories, although on the side he did admit to swindling some of the factory managers he knew to get them to hire his clients. But his stories were entertaining, and they were a better fit for the glowing, golden lights of the streets of Paris. The people tipped their hats and smiled as they passed, and Sara coached Bucky to do the same. 

“We could teach him some manners, if he needed them,” said Dmitri.

“Oh, stop it,” said Anya.

“I think he’s got it pretty well covered,” said Sara.

They came to a restaurant on the Rue de L____, and they strode into a restaurant called Champollion’s. They got a seat beneath the awning in front of the restaurant, but the  
restaurant was very open-air and they could still see the other tables and the dancing floor inside. There was a band playing lively music and people in colorful clothes moving to the rhythm.

Bucky watched the dancers while they waited for drinks. “Have I seen dancing like that before?” he asked.

“The dancing in the other places we’ve been wasn’t anything like this, I assure you,” said Sara. She leaned over so Anya could help her with the French menu. She found a dish that sounded slightly palatable for herself and ordered the same for Bucky. Their food didn’t take very long to arrive. 

“So Anya, tell me,” said Sara, “do you still see your grandmother a lot?”

“Every so often,” said Anya. “She likes us to come see her and know how we’re doing. Everyone’s disappointed that I didn’t want to be their princess, but we’re still welcome.”

“That’s good,” said Sara.

“I think that’s all Grandmama really cared about in the first place, knowing that I was still alive. But she wants me to be happy. And she likes Dmitri.”

“Well, she says my manners are ‘tolerable,’” said Dmitri. “It was she who got me the job in the first place, helping other Russian expats.”

“Yes, well does she know about your swindling the factory owners?”

“Ahh, it...may have come to her knowledge.”

“I think she looks the other way just to be nice,” said Anya. “But really, Dmitri, you do know she cares about that sort of thing.”

“And how is Vladimir doing?” asked Sara.

“Vladmir’s doing great, he and Sophie got married, and they’re living in Marseilles.”

“Cool, cool.”

They finished their dinner, and Dmitri took Anya to dance while Sara and Bucky watched.

“I’m sorry, how do you know these people?” Bucky asked her.

“It was a movie I watched in my childhood,” said Sara. “Probably the first one my mom ever took me to see in theaters. Didn’t you ever go to the movies? I thought that was all they had for entertainment back in the day.”

Bucky shrugged. “But even for them being childhood heroes, you seem pretty familiar with them.”

“I know, right?” said Sara. “I’m just happy they want to be nice back.” She was silent for a minute. Then she said, “I was friends with Steve Rogers for a while. We were at  
S.H.I.E.L.D. school together for a semester and he hung out at my apartment a lot.”

“Is that how you knew Emily Bridger, too?”

“Uh-huh.”

Anya and Dmitri came back. The waiter came by with their bill and tried to interest them in dessert, but they told him they were fine. Then the music started playing again after a short break. 

“Hey, Sara, would you like to dance?” Bucky said.

“Of course,” she told him. “We’ll be right back,” Sara said to their friends.

It was a slower number they danced to. Bucky held her very close, and Sara didn’t object. 

“Well, I think we’ve managed to go out dancing for the last five nights in a row,” said Sara. “To think when we get back you might not get to again for a long time.”

“It’s all right,” said Bucky.

“But you remember how to, now, at least?”

“At least. I’m not too worried about how I’m going to spend my evenings from now on.”

Though there was plenty that Sara wanted to say to him, she didn’t know quite how to say it, so they were silent for the rest of the number. Then when it ended, a fast song began, and a French girl walked up and tapped Bucky on the shoulder. Sara was all right going back to the table and watching. Dmitri and Anya got up to dance again, so she was by herself for a few minutes. 

She sang softly to herself while she watched them:

“Paree holds the key to your past,  
Yes, Bucky, we’ve found you at last,  
No more pretend,  
You’ll be gone, that’s the end…”

Total darkness began to fall outside. Bucky, Dmitri, and Anya came back.

“Isn’t it time we were going?” Bucky asked Sara.

“Yes, it is,” said Sara. “Well, thanks again for your help and for a lovely evening in Paris.”

“It was our pleasure,” said Anya. Sara decided to shake hands, and Dmitri took it, but Anya hugged her. “Good luck back in your own time.”

“Thanks.”

And she looked over Sara’s shoulder and added to Bucky: “And I hope you find your memories.”

“Thanks,” Bucky nodded. He tipped his hat to them as they left.

Walking down the Rue de St. D____ bridge, they were both silent.They walked across the bridge back to the Rue de P____. In a shadowy corner there was an English Police Box waiting for them, though no one else who saw it paid it much attention.

They re-entered the T.A.R.D.I.S. 

“So how was Paris this evening?” Clara asked when they reached the control room.

“It was lovely,” said Sara, taking off her hat. “Bucky and Anya had a nice little chat.”

“Well done,” said the Doctor. He came forward to take their effects and took them to another room.

“So what do you have to go back to, Sara?” Clara asked her.

“Not much, really,” said Sara. She started going on about her fruitless job search and her wondering about whether or not to go back to school.

“But you know what,” said Sara, reaching the end of her rant, “earlier today I overheard some advice. If you want something in life, even if you don’t know entirely what that  
something is, you should go for it. If you start heading one direction, things will start happening. And everything will fall into place.”

“And what do you think you’ll be going for?”

“I don’t know yet,” said Sara. “I’m still thinking about it. I have options, just not--certainty about what those are. I’m really lame, I guess,” she sighed. “I never knew what I  
wanted to do with my life. just go to college, get married, and not look for a career in anything because my lubby-dubby will have everything taken care of for me. But the people who get married and end up like that, it seems like they’re the ones who were planning for that the least. Most of the time. The more you want something, the more you work for it.”

“Isn’t that counter-intuitive, though?” said Bucky, “because I thought they said that the more you want something the more likely you are to get it?”

“Well, there’s no easy answer to having anything in life,” said Clara, folding her arms. “You just have to move forward and make the best of what you’re given. But tell me, what do you want, Bucky?”

“I…” Bucky shook his head.

“You don’t have to answer. I was just curious.”

“I want a life,” said Bucky. “Whatever I had before, when I used to be a normal person, I want that. I think I’d like that.”

“Well, you probably don’t have to be a whole person to find it,” said Clara, eyeing his left hand.

“I also want to be accepted,” said Bucky, “for who I am. Not for the metal arm, not for being Captain America’s best friend, not for anything else about me. Just being me.”

“Well, what is it that you think makes you ‘you’?” said Sara.

“That’s a good question,” said Bucky. “I guess I still have to find it.”

“I think you’ve already found it,” said Sara, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You’re a nice guy who likes to have fun, and you make people feel better about themselves. You’ve  
done that without even trying.”

“I guess,” said Bucky, “but it still wasn’t what I’m looking for.”

 

The Park Again

The Doctor returned to the room.

“Clara, you may collect their Glamors now.”

“You ready to take this off?” Sara asked Bucky.

“I’m not,” he said. “I’d rather keep this on me forever, and I’d never have to hide again.”

“It’ll be all right, Bucky,” said Clara. 

“I’ll go get my bathrobe,” said Sara.

“Actually, you may want to go get your regular clothes back on, Sara” said Clara. “We’re taking you home now, since this is done.”

“Oh, right,” said Sara. “I’ll be in my room, then.” She went to go change. When she returned, Bucky had removed the Glamour from his neck, and he was a long-haired homeless  
miscreant again. He and Clara were talking quietly.

Sara handed Clara her Glamour. 

“I see we’re all back to normal, then,” The Doctor said when Sara returned. “Getting you two back home should be the work of a moment. You won’t have been gone longer than five minutes in your normal time.”

“Five minutes, for all this to have happened?” said Sara.

“Not long enough,” said Bucky. Now that his appearance had returned to its shabby state, Sara thought she could see his forlorn self creeping back.

Bucky left the room and returned wearing his baseball cap and jacket.

He sat down next to Sara. Neither of them said anything.

“If you wanted to,” said Sara, “my parents could take you in. My brother David’s at the university right now, you could stay in his room.”

“I almost got you killed earlier,” said Bucky. “You don’t need Hydra to go to your parents’ house.”

“We could find someplace else for you to go,” said Sara. “Someplace safe. Where they’d never find you.”

“I thought you said this was a safe place,” he said, looking at her. “And now they’re kicking us out.”

The trip back to Minneapolis took less than an hour. The four of them emerged from the T.A.R.D.I.S. The sun was coming partway out from behind the clouds, and the birds were singing. It was a bit muggy, and there was water on the grass.

Sara and Bucky turned to take their leave of the Doctor and Clara.

“Well,” said the Doctor, “this is goodbye, then. Take care of yourselves, the two of you.”

The Doctor shook hands with both of them.

“Doctor, I just wanted to say,” Sara began, “now, it’s not that I don’t wish ill on Clara or anything like that, but, if you’re ever in the market for a new companion in the future, I’ll probably be available.”

Clara laughed. “You can go with us whenever you like, dear.”

“I’d just as soon you didn’t,” said the Doctor. “You’ve got quite a few things to get done on your own. Clara and I can manage.”

“Well, thanks for everything, then,” said Sara.

She hugged Clara.

“I want all the best in the world for you, dear,” said Clara. “You too, Bucky.”

“Thanks,” said Bucky. “I’ll see you around, I guess.”

“Good luck to you, young man,” said the Doctor.

They said their final goodbyes, and Clara and the Doctor returned to the blue Police Box perched conspicuously on the lawn, and it vanished.  
When the T.A.R.D.I.S. had disappeared, Sara looked up to find Bucky already walking away.

“Bucky, wait,” she called out to him. He was already a good fifty feet ahead of her, and she ran to catch up with him. “Bucky, please, don’t go!”

“What?” he asked her. “What more do you want? We’re done now.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” said Sara. “You can go home with me. I can give you a place to stay. The holidays will be coming pretty soon. You’d like someone to spend them  
with, wouldn’t you?”

“I’d be better off spending my time alone,” said Bucky. “You do realize the danger you’d put yourself in, taking me in?”

“I don’t care about the danger,” said Sara. “I don’t care about what Hydra would do to me for being nice to you. They shouldn’t bother me for trying to help you in the first place.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” said Bucky, “but I think you’re forgetting that I know all too well what Hydra likes to do to people.”

“I don’t want you to go,” said Sara. She reached for his hand. He let her take it.

“I know how you feel,” said Bucky, “but it’s for the best.”

“Will I ever see you again?” she asked him.

“I can’t promise anything,” said Bucky. “But you already gave me your word that you would never tell anyone that you saw me today. Is that still good?”

“Yes, but -- “

“Good, then I don’t want to hear anything about it.” He let go of her hand and turned to leave. But then he stopped. He looked at her. She hugged him, and he hugged her back.

“I’ll remember you,” said Sara. “Always.”

“I’m going to miss you too. It was fun.”

They held on to each other for a very long time. Then, slowly, reluctantly, they slipped apart.

“Oh, almost forgot,” she said, “I still have your napkin -- “ she pulled it from her pocket.

“Keep it,” he said, smiling faintly. 

“All right. Bye,” she said, so quietly he almost couldn’t hear it. He simply nodded as he started walking towards the trees. She watched him until he disappeared.

She found her car right where she’d left it. 

How all that had happened could have been no longer than five minutes, she had no idea.

She had a Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD in her car, Heavensong, and she turned it to the track entitled “The Prayer.”

Bucky hated to leave her. Truly. He promised himself that if he could ever return to thank Sara for all she had done for him, he would.


End file.
